Matilda’s is a new neighborhood bakery and cafe in Santa Monica. It offers fresh bread, pastries, sandwiches, and coffee. The cafe also offers indoor and outdoor seating and is named after the owner’s daughter.
Matilda’s Bakery and Cafe Opens in Santa Monica
Matilda’s Bakery and Cafe opened its doors in Santa Monica following its soft opening on October 2. The cafe is located at 3200 Airport Avenue and is owned by Sean Martin. Founding baker François Pied and lead baker Abel Pulsifer oversee the bakery’s baking operations.
The bakery combines European baking traditions with California ingredients and techniques. Its team describes the concept as “a California bakery with an accent.” It brings together flavors and ingredients from Europe with California’s baking culture.
François Pied grew up in southern France, where his family sparked his interest in cooking. He started a home bakery called Pour Toi before pursuing baking professionally. He later trained at École Lenôtre in Paris and worked at bakeries in France, Montana, and Los Angeles.
Abel Pulsifer is originally from Gilbert, Arizona, and has worked at bakeries across Arizona, Los Angeles, and New York. He and Pied first worked together at Bub and Grandma’s in Los Angeles.
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What’s on the Menu
Matilda’s menu includes croissants, baguettes, sausage rolls, shakshouka croissants, honey butter toast, and other pastries. The croissants are made with French flour and butter, local whole grains, and a slow fermentation process.
The baguettes are made with organic French flour, fresh yeast, and sea salt from Brittany. Customers can enjoy them with the butter menu featuring eight different types of butter.
Matilda’s sources much of its grain from Hayden Flour Mills in Arizona, including White Sonora Wheat, a historic grain variety from the 1600s. The bakery slow-ferments its products for at least 18 hours, while its croissants take four days to make.
For coffee, Matilda’s has partnered with Caffè Luxxe for sourcing and staff training. The bakery and cafe is open Wednesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
