Rising to the occasion

Farmers market favorite whips up new Parisian bakery in East Austin

East Austin’s bustling Springdale General development is about to get a sweet new addition. Farmers market favorite Julie Myrtille Bakery is opening its first brick-and-mortar on December 4.

The tiny shop at 1023 Springdale Rd. aims to bring a taste of Paris to the Capital City. Before moving to Austin in 2016, Myrtille established herself as a pastry darling, leading to being the youngest female chef to be inducted into the Academie Culinaire de France, one of the oldest and most prestigious organizations in the culinary industry, in 2017.

Her considerable skills will be on full display at the highly anticipated east side shop, which will feature her innovative spins on French classics like croissants, cannelés, madeleines, quiche Lorraine, pain Suisse, and brioche. Ingredients will be sourced locally whenever possible.

“I define my work as a constant search for the right balance between taste, textures and turning up,” says Myrtille in an October 31 release. “I want my creations to be light and balanced and respectful of the rhythm of seasonal fruits while allowing people to rediscover the forgotten tastes. As a sustainable bakery, we also believe in making healthy, responsible choices that have a better impact both socially and environmentally.”

Anyone who has seen her artfully decorated farmers market booths will not be surprised that the chef had a hand in the design of the storefront. Myrtille worked with business manager Melanie Roy and Parisian firm ACB Architectes & Associés to instill personality into the industrial space.

“When designing the storefront, I imagined a welcoming space that feels like a French country kitchen to immerse everyone in an intense authentic French gourmet experience,” she explains. “We hope that people who visit get the sense that they’re in a small corner of East Austin with Parisian flair and memorably delicious treats.”

Although opening a standalone store will undoubtedly keep Myrtille busy, she has no plans to abandon her pop-up operations at Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller, SFC Farmers’ Market Downtown, SFC Farmers' Market at Sunset Valley, Farmers Market at Lakeline Mall, and Bee Cave's Lone Star Farmers Market. The brick-and-mortar will be open Tuesday through Sunday, 7 am-2 pm.

Julie Myrtille Bakery gives the farmers market fave a permanent home.

Photo by Amanda Hartfield

Julie Myrtille Bakery gives the farmers market fave a permanent home.

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NYT loves AUS

Homey Austin bakery Comadre makes New York Times Best Bakeries list

Comadre Panadería/Instagram

Comadre Panadería is known for nostalgic Mexican bakes with feminine flair.

The New York Times has once again shined its spotlight on Austin’s culinary scene. It included Comadre Panadería, an Austin bakery focusing on Mexican treats, on its new list of the 22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now.

Interim food critic Priya Krishna praises pastry chef Mariela Camacho’s pastries that include conchas and her signature pink cake. “Despite their saccharine appearances, not one of the desserts is overly cloying, and even the coffee drinks (Texas pecan horchata! Cranberry vanilla agua fresca!) strike the playful tone of the pastries,” she writes.

Comadre Panadería has been widely recognized, including by this publication; she won Pastry Chef of the Year in the 2023 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards. She also earned a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.

Camacho and Comadre as a whole are both invested in using baked goods to make a more equitable world, from the bakery's early days as a fundraiser for disaster relief, to a current insistence on charging enough to support ethical and organic foods, and paying staff enough to keep up with rising costs in Austin.

Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panaderia in Austin Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panaderia. Courtesy photo

The Times also recognized Houston's Koffeteria. Krishna hails the bakery for pastry chef-owner Vanarin Kuch’s creative fare that includes dishes such as beef pho kolaches, Chinese sausage breakfast tacos, and butter mochi.

“Some of Mr. Kuch’s offerings are rooted in his Cambodian American identity — he makes cornbread with the coconutty, scallion-forward flavors of Cambodian street corn — while others are odes to Houston’s multicultural makeup. But most of the fun of Koffeteria is having no idea what Mr. Kuch will do next, and eagerly awaiting his next innovation,” Krishna writes.

Open since 2019, Koffeteria has been riding high this year. It earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Bakery and a CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Award for Pastry Chef of the Year.

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Comadre Panadería and Koffeteria are the only Texas establishments to make the Times’ list. Only California and New York City, which each have three representatives, earn more recognition.

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