Screenshot 2024-12-26 at 9.20.51 AM

If it’s hard to imagine an improvement on the kouign-amann — that perfectly caramelized helix of salted butter and dough from Brittany — then it’s time to try the Nixtamal Queen, completely transformed by an addition of sourdough and nixtamalized corn. It’s just one taste of what Gusto can do. Informed by Mexican and Indigenous traditions, Arturo Enciso and Ana Belén Salatino, above, run a neighborhood panadería with an expressive, unconventional and highly delicious approach that extends to conchas, multigrain breads and all kinds of seasonal pastries that make the bakery a destination. TEJAL RAO