Ukrainian Bakers Are Flooding the Bay Area With Sophisticated European Pastries | Eater SF

"Opened in November 2024, this San Mateo bakery specializes in macarons, eclairs, mousses, croissants, and whole, intricately layered cakes. Owner Andrii Kotsiubynskyi moved to the Bay Area with his family in 2022 from Lviv, escaping the war and leaving a number of restaurants plus a beer and a whiskey manufacturing plant to his business partners; as he puts it, “We had restarted our lives from scratch.” Originally wanting to open a coffee shop, he decided instead to focus on a bakery after noticing what he describes as a market gap: “When you arrive in the U.S. from Europe, you see a gap in the market.” The menu was built by a team of pastry chefs from Ukraine invited to establish production and recipe development, and the results lean experimental: a savory cream cheese pie with spinach, avocado, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan; macarons infused with Dorblu cheese and pear; coconut and currant–flavored mini tarts; pistachio and raspberry–filled eclairs; and a Snickers-themed cake featuring layers of chocolate sponge, peanut cream cheese, peanut caramel and milk chocolate ganache. Larger pies and cakes are available whole, while smaller items can be purchased with a minimum purchase of 10 items. Business has reportedly been growing after the first month, with a steady stream of customers excited to try the colorful eclairs and desserts, and Kotsiubynskyi hopes to expand: “We have the right experience,” he says, noting that the bakery’s emphasis on quality and interesting flavor combinations are the keys to future success." - Flora Tsapovsky