Classic European pastries drive success at these Massachusetts bakeries
Family-run bakeries in Fall River and Medford honor their roots while building loyal local followings
ANTHONY GETS US STARTED WITH A PORTUGUESE SPECIALTY IN FALL RIVER. THE PASTEL DE NATA IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL PORTUGUESE TREAT. IT’S AN OUTSIDE PUFF PASTRY SHELL, SO IT SHOULD BE NICE AND CRISPY WHEN YOU TAKE A BITE INTO IT. AND ON THE INSIDE, IT’S A VERY SILKY, EGGY CUSTARD. YOU SHOULD GET THAT SWEETNESS, A LITTLE BIT OF VANILLA, A LITTLE BIT OF LEMON, BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE OVERPOWERING. ALL THREE SHOULD KIND OF MESH TOGETHER. I HOPE YOU, ANDREW FERRARA, HIS SISTER ERIKA STOW, AND HER HUSBAND KEVIN KUDO, ARE THE OWNERS OF EUROPA PASTRIES COFFEE SHOP IN FALL RIVER, WHERE THEY SELL DOZENS OF PASTEL DE NATA EACH DAY. IT’S ALMOST INGRAINED IN PORTUGUESE CULTURE TO HAVE THOSE ON THE TABLE. ANDREW AND KEVIN WERE WORKING AT A PAWN SHOP TOGETHER, BUT WERE LOOKING FOR A CHANGE WHEN ANDREW NOTICED THE CAFE. HE AND ERIKA VISITED EVERY SUNDAY WHEN THEY WERE KIDS WAS FOR SALE. IT WAS KIND OF SERENDIPITOUS THAT I ENDED UP FALLING HERE BY THE END OF 2018, THE TRIO HAD TAKEN OVER THE 20 YEAR OLD NEIGHBORHOOD STAPLE, AND IT’S RENOWNED PASTEL DE NATA RECIPE. WE’VE KEPT THAT RECIPE. WE MASTERED IT. WE BELIEVE THAT WE MADE IT JUST A LITTLE BIT BETTER. I COME IN EARLY AS ONE IN THE MORNING. IT’S A LONG DAY FROM START TO FINISH. YOU’RE LOOKING AT LIKE TWO THREE HOURS, THE MOST LABOR INTENSIVE PART IS HAVING TO HAND OPEN EVERY SINGLE ONE, MAKING THE BASE CUSTARD, POURING IT IN AND COOKING IT. YOU KNOW, THAT’S LIKE 45 MINUTES. BUT THERE’S A LOT OF LOVE AND OPENING UP EACH INDIVIDUAL ONE HOLIDAYS. WE ALWAYS JOKE AND SAY WE HAVE TO MAKE INFINITY AMOUNT. IT’S GOT ALL THE CARAMELIZATION THAT YOU WANT ON IT, ALL THE LITTLE DARK SPOTS. THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT PERFECT. ARE NOT THAT THOSE ARE 100% BEST SELLER. A LABOR OF LOVE. THIS BAKERY IS A TRIBUTE TO THE TRIO’S ROOTS. THEIR PARENTS IMMIGRATED TO THE U.S. FROM PORTUGAL. WE’RE NOT GOING TO FORGET WHO WE WERE, BUT WE’RE DEFINITELY TRYING TO GET TO WHERE WE WANT TO BE, SO I THINK THAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, AS THEY DID WITH SOME OF THE RECIPES, THE NEW OWNERS ALSO MODERNIZED THE CAFE. THEY BEAUTIFIED THIS PLACE. OKAY. AND I’M VERY GLAD MY HUSBAND AND I, WE COME EVERY DAY FROM EAST PROVIDENCE. WE LOVE TO COME HERE. I’VE MADE FRIENDSHIPS HERE. THOSE LITTLE THINGS MAKE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE. AND I THINK THAT WHEN YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RELY ON YOU, WE CAN ALSO RELY ON THE COMMUNITY TO COME RIGHT BACK. I USED TO BE A FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND MY HUSBAND USED TO BE A DIRECTOR IN A MEDICAL AREA. AND AFTER WE DECIDED TO CHANGE THE LIFE COMPLETELY. IN 2017, NATALIE AND FRANK BEDFORD OPTED FOR A RADICAL RELOCATION, MOVING FROM FRANCE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC TO BOSTON. MY UNCLE, HE’S A BAKER, SO IT WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT WE LOVED. WATCH HIM BAKING AND WE WERE LIKE, OKAY, WE SHOULD TRY TO OPEN A BAKERY IN THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE WE BOTH LOVE UNITED STATES. THE PAIR WORKED OUT OF ANOTHER RESTAURANT FIRST, THEN VENTURED OUT ON THEIR OWN OPENING COLETTE BAKERY IN MEDFORD IN 2020. COLETTE WAS A NICKNAME OF MY GRANDMA. SHE LOVED TO COOK AND SHE WAS A VERY SPECIAL PERSON. THE BAKERY’S BLACK AND WHITE MASCOT IS A TRIBUTE TO AN ANIMAL THEY LOVE, AND THE TWO PLACES THEY’VE CALLED HOME A MIX OF FRENCH BULLDOG AND A BOSTON TERRIER. SO IT’S A FRENCH STONE, A FRENCH BAKERY IN BOSTON. COLETTE’S MENU FEATURES SUMPTUOUS TREATS FROM ALL OVER THEIR NATIVE COUNTRY. WE LIVED IN SOUTH OF FRANCE, BUT MY HUSBAND WAS FROM PARIS AND I WAS FROM WEST PART OF FRANCE. SHORTLY AFTER THE BARRIERS OPENED, THE BAKERY, THEIR SON VALENTIN FINISHED STUDYING PASTRY MAKING AND MOVED TO THE U.S. TO JOIN THEM. THEIR BEST SELLER, THE CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CROISSANT, IS BIG ENOUGH TO SPLIT IF YOU MUST, AND A NEW ADDITION. THE BENEFIT IS A TASTY TART WITH BANANA, CHOCOLATE AND CREAM. THE FIRST TIME WE OPENED, PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY PUT. MAYBE YOU HAD 20% MORE SUGAR IN YOUR PASTRY BECAUSE AMERICAN. THEY PREFER. WHEN IT’S MORE SWEET, WE’RE GOING TO DO EXACTLY LIKE WE DO IN FRANCE. AND ACTUALLY WE GOT A VERY GOOD RESPONSE. THE RESPONSE WAS SO GOOD, THE BARRIERS OPENED A SECOND LOCATION IN MELROSE, AND NOW A THIRD IN BOSTON’S SOUTH END. THEIR DAUGHTER, CLEMENTINE, FINISHED HER STUDIES AND JOINED THE FAMILY BUSINESS AS WELL. WORKING WITH YOUR FAMILY, IT’S THE BEST EXPERIENCE IN MY LIFE. THAT’S THE BEST DECISION THAT WE MADE. THAT’S AWESOME. AND BACK TO FALL RIVER. THE PASTEL DE NATA PASTRIES ARE SO POPULAR THAT THEY ARE NOW PART OF A CONTEST. THE SOUTHCOAST SNACK DOWN SEEKS TO CROWN THE BEST IN THE REGION. WE’LL HAVE A LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE. WE ARE TOLD THE PASTRIES WERE INVENTED AT A PORTUGUESE MONASTERY IN THE 17TH CENTURY. THE MONKS WENT THROUGH A LOT OF EGG WHITES FOR STARCH AND CLOTHES, SO TO AVOID WAS
Classic European pastries drive success at these Massachusetts bakeries
Family-run bakeries in Fall River and Medford honor their roots while building loyal local followings
Updated: 3:43 PM EDT Apr 14, 2026
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At Europa Pastries and Coffee Shop in Fall River, the pastel de nata isn’t just a dessert — it’s a connection to culture, family, and community.The iconic Portuguese pastry starts with a crisp, flaky shell and ends with a silky custard center layered with notes of vanilla and lemon. For co-owner Andrew Ferreira, it’s a flavor that feels like home. “It’s almost ingrained in Portuguese culture to have those on the table,” he says.Ferreira, his sister Erica Couto, and her husband Kevin Couto took over the longtime neighborhood café in 2018 — the same place Andrew and Erica visited as kids. What began as a leap from working at a pawn shop turned into a labor of love, preserving and refining a beloved recipe.Each batch takes hours, with much of the work done by hand — from shaping the pastry to cooking the custard. The result: caramelized tops, rich flavor, and a loyal following. “There’s a lot of love in opening up each individual one,” Andrew says.The shop honors the family’s Portuguese roots while embracing its role as a modern community hub — a place where regulars gather and new traditions are made. The beloved pastry is even the subject of a contest, the “South Coast Snackdown.” A similar spirit fuels Colette Bakery in Medford, where a French family turned a life-changing move into a growing business. Nathalie and Franck Beddiar left careers in aviation and medicine to open their bakery after relocating to Boston from France in 2017.Named after Nathalie’s grandmother, Colette Bakery blends tradition with personal history. The menu reflects flavors from across France, including oversized chocolate croissants and inventive pastries such as their banoffee tart.Despite early suggestions to make their desserts sweeter for American tastes, the Beddiars stayed true to their roots — and found success. Since opening in Medford in 2020, they’ve expanded to Melrose and Boston’s South End, with their children now part of the business.
At Europa Pastries and Coffee Shop in Fall River, the pastel de nata isn’t just a dessert — it’s a connection to culture, family, and community.
The iconic Portuguese pastry starts with a crisp, flaky shell and ends with a silky custard center layered with notes of vanilla and lemon. For co-owner Andrew Ferreira, it’s a flavor that feels like home. “It’s almost ingrained in Portuguese culture to have those on the table,” he says.
Ferreira, his sister Erica Couto, and her husband Kevin Couto took over the longtime neighborhood café in 2018 — the same place Andrew and Erica visited as kids. What began as a leap from working at a pawn shop turned into a labor of love, preserving and refining a beloved recipe.
Each batch takes hours, with much of the work done by hand — from shaping the pastry to cooking the custard. The result: caramelized tops, rich flavor, and a loyal following. “There’s a lot of love in opening up each individual one,” Andrew says.
The shop honors the family’s Portuguese roots while embracing its role as a modern community hub — a place where regulars gather and new traditions are made. The beloved pastry is even the subject of a contest, the “South Coast Snackdown.”
A similar spirit fuels Colette Bakery in Medford, where a French family turned a life-changing move into a growing business. Nathalie and Franck Beddiar left careers in aviation and medicine to open their bakery after relocating to Boston from France in 2017.
Named after Nathalie’s grandmother, Colette Bakery blends tradition with personal history. The menu reflects flavors from across France, including oversized chocolate croissants and inventive pastries such as their banoffee tart.
Despite early suggestions to make their desserts sweeter for American tastes, the Beddiars stayed true to their roots — and found success. Since opening in Medford in 2020, they’ve expanded to Melrose and Boston’s South End, with their children now part of the business.
Dining and Cooking