Her mother was born in Spain, and taught Porto to cook and bake.
During the early years of the Cuban Revolution, her husband cut sugar cane in a labor camp, and Rosa baked for neighbors to support her family.
[3] They moved to Los Angeles, where she sold her Cuban-style cakes and other foods from home, while her husband worked as a janitor.
[4] Porto's Bakery & Cafe locations grew to include shops currently operating in Burbank, Downey, Buena Park, West Covina and Northridge, with a seventh site scheduled to open in 2025 at the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.
[5][6] Rosa Porto retired from baking in the 1990s; her children and grandchildren continue to run the business, now with over a thousand employees.