Bettina’s Bakery, celebrating its first year as the new shop on the block — 295 Elliot Street at the top of Oak Street, in the Upper Falls Historic District — offers a unique mix of German and Honduran baked goods (from scratch) and locally sourced roast coffee. Replacing a sub shop, Bettina’s is open 7AM-3PM, Monday through Saturday, offering breakfast and lunch. The bakery’s hours accommodate middle-schoolers disembarking from their bus and stopping in on the way home for fortifying brownies. And on Tuesdays, Bettina’s pies are available at Newton’s Farmer’s Market in Cold Spring Park.
Bettina Scemama and Naun Rivera, proprietors and bakers, joined culinary forces at a Roxbury non-profit, but nurtured the hope of opening their own establishment. Then, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, Bettina decided “now or never.” By chance, she discovered that Bob’s Sub Shop was on the market in the Upper Falls neighborhood, which reminds her of Europe — Bettina was born in Germany and came to the U.S. for college — and she took over the space and transformed it. The shop’s bright, open floor plan and sky-blue plaster and brick walls invite in-store dining as well as take-out customers. There is a large bookcase filled with cookbooks — some in German — for people looking for recipes.
A steady stream of customers — Bettina knows many of them — come in for coffee and the Honduran and European specialties: “conchas,” baleadas, scones, and brioches baked early in the morning six days a week. Bettina says “this neighborhood brings us lots of pleasure,” and business, too, with its growing mix of younger families replacing longtime older residents. Upper Falls is experiencing a development boom, with the coming of the 800+ apartment Northland complex and many condominiums replacing older houses.
Saturday is Bettina’s busiest day, with people stopping for coffee and fresh-baked breakfast or pastries for home use. Every other Saturday, Bettina’s hosts a “pop-up” florist who makes bouquets to order with flowers from her own garden. When the blooming season ends, Bettina is considering other pop-up options.
Before moving to Massachusetts, Bettina lived on New York’s Upper West Side with its endless variety of multi-cultural restaurants and delicatessens. Upper Falls is proving to be a hospitable location for Bettina’s Bakery as well. At the moment, they are a staff of four, who begin their workday at 5AM. With October, November, and December their busiest months, Bettina and Naun are considering the possibility of expanding hours.
For menu and baking options and take-out orders, check out: www.bettinasbakery.com
