La Casa de Mamá, a 100% vegan Mexican bakery that has spent more than five years selling at Portland pop-ups, farmers markets and community events, is preparing to open its first storefront at 2240 N. Interstate Ave., Suite 260, in North Portland’s Eliot neighborhood. The family behind the business hopes to welcome the public in December, once renovations wrap up at the end of November.
The bakery signed the lease in early September and moved in quickly. Until the work is finished, customers can still order pan dulce online for pickup at the new kitchen, a service that is especially busy during Día de los Muertos. Co-owner Alexa Carrera told What Now Portland that the opening will start on a limited basis, with the plan to open formally once everything is ready.
The bakery is run by founder Miriam Carrera with her children, Alexa and Cesar. The storefront will be the first physical space the business fully controls. The family plans to eventually offer seating and keep regular public hours two days a week, while continuing to sell at pop-ups and markets around the city. The space will also work as a pickup point for orders.
The new home shares a building with Kalesa Coffee, a Southeast Asian-inspired coffee shop that has supplied itself with the bakery’s goods through a wholesale partnership for just over a year. The space was previously occupied by Devil’s Food Catering, and Kalesa’s owners connected the family with the landlord.
The larger kitchen is also expected to open up the menu. Beyond the bakery’s staples such as conchas, empanadas and tres leches cake, the family plans to add savory dishes like vegan tamales, taquitos and pozole, along with gluten-free baked goods. Longer term, the owners are also considering chef dinners, residencies and family events at the space.
La Casa de Mamá is believed to be the first vegan Mexican bakery in the area to open a brick-and-mortar location. The plans were also covered by The Oregonian, which reported on the family’s new kitchen and its Día de los Muertos altar ahead of the opening.
“We’re really excited about this move. We’ve been around town doing a lot of community events and pop-ups for a little over five years now, and we’ve just been super grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the community,” Carrera told What Now Portland. “Now having a space of our own, in a little corner of Portland, is super exciting to us, and we’re just hoping that it’s a space for community to be able to stop by, grab some pan dulce, and just hang out. We’ve always wanted to emulate a feeling of community and inclusion and as much safety as we can convey during these times.”
