Many hands have worked in the Vilas bakery since then. Now it is Flor Petre who is responsible for keeping alive a story that began 289 years ago. She has owned the business for just two years, but knows every corner of it well because she has worked there for a decade. When the previous owners decided to retire, the future of the confectionery was uncertain: close it down or find someone willing to carry it on. The for-sale sign remained up for a year without anyone taking the step. Until Flor decided to do so. She had spent eight years also learning the trade in the bakery and, at 52, faced the possibility of being left without a job. She took out a loan and took over Vilas. “Now I make the decisions while doing what I used to do,” she says.
Born in Romania and settled in Aragón for 22 years, Flor began her career at Vilas behind the counter, working as a sales assistant. Little by little, she also moved into the bakery, learning the shop’s recipes and methods. When the time came to decide the future of the confectionery, more than a job opportunity was at stake: so was the continuity of a centuries-old business in a city that has already seen other pastry shops disappear for lack of a new generation to take over.
THE TASTE OF ALMOST THREE CENTURIES
Vilas’s history began in 1737 with Raimundo Vilas, originally as a confectionery and candle shop. In those early days, the business produced more than just pastries: it also made candles for convents, baptisms and all kinds of celebrations. This gave rise to a close relationship with the Church that continued for generations and left behind some distinctive traditions. The former owner, Antonio Vilas, once left the confectionery to his accountant in his will on one condition: sweets and pastries had to be taken to the church every Saturday. For years, there was also a tradition of blessing products associated with important celebrations, such as Three Kings’ cakes.
The confectionery has not always been located at number 5 on Alcoraz Street. Its original premises were in Coso Bajo, until damp-related problems caused the building to collapse. Around three decades ago, the business found a new location and moved both the shop and the bakery there. The address changed, but not a way of working that still champions handmade products today.
Marzipan, nougat, saint’s bones, delicias, almond and pine nut pastries, cakes, tarts, tea pastries, chocolates, savory pastries and cheesecakes currently fill its display cases. Among this entire range, Flor highlights three products as being especially closely linked to the shop’s identity: the soufflé, the Loreto cake and, above all, the marzipan chestnuts, the true emblem of Vilas.
Almonds and sugar are the foundation of Vilas confectionery’s marzipan chestnuts. Photo: Diego Sanz
Marzipan chestnuts can be found at different establishments in Huesca, but those made by Vilas have a story of their own: the shop’s original recipe was created by Antonio Vilas. Almonds and sugar are the foundation of an apparently simple product that continues to be made here using traditional methods. This way of working also means rejecting industrial shortcuts. Vilas does not use additives or preservatives in its products, Flor explains. Adding them would extend the sweets’ shelf life and open the door to distributing them in large supermarkets, but it would mean changing the philosophy that has guided the business for generations.
Flor does not appear willing to do that. “It is anchored centuries in the past, for better or worse,” she says of the confectionery. Rather than hide this characteristic, she embraces it as part of its identity: “As long as I’m here, it won’t be industrialized.” In the bakery, the aim remains for the sweets to taste like what they are: almonds, sugar and raw ingredients crafted by hand.
A STORY THAT REMAINS ALIVE
When Flor decided to take over Vilas, she had one concern. After the confectionery had been tied to the same family history for so many years, and as someone from outside the area, she feared that some Huesca customers might view the change with a degree of suspicion. The opposite happened. “Huesca’s customers are loyal, and those who know the products trust us and place many orders,” she explains. A new group is also joining this faithful clientele: “More and more people from outside the area are going there specifically to buy our own products.”
The confectionery is located at 5 Alcoraz Street. Photo: Diego Sanz
This loyalty makes it possible to maintain a production method that requires time and skilled hands. Five people currently work at Vilas: three in the bakery and two in the shop. At a time when many traditional businesses are struggling to find someone to take over, the confectionery appears to have resolved that uncertainty. Flor’s son and daughter-in-law are among those working in the bakery, learning and already taking part in the business’s day-to-day operations.
After almost three centuries, the story Raimundo Vilas began in 1737 with candles and pastries continues amid almonds, sugar and trays fresh from the bakery. Flor arrived as a sales assistant, learned the trade and, when no one seemed willing to take over, decided to go into debt so the shutters could continue to open every morning. Now she looks toward the next generation with one certainty: “Vilas will not cease to exist; there is a lot of life behind it.”
