Cadinho Bakery & Café, McKinley Park, Chicago

Maria Alejandra Rivera co-owns Cadinho Bakery & Café in the McKinley Park neighborhood of Chicago with her husband and front-of-house manager Eric Carlson. Rivera is originally from Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.

Since opening on July 19th, Cadinho has become known for their pastel de nata, a delicious Portuguese egg tart with a caramelized top over a silky center filled with cinnamon and citrus, all held in a flaky, crunchy shell.

On opening weekend, they crafted around 1,000 pastéis de nata and still sold out. The bakery and cafe currently offers a streamlined menu, including a pastel de nata with chocolate and similar items to the signature special: a pastel de amêndoa — an almond cake — and a pastel de coco — a coconut cake — both in puff pastry.

Rivera reports that savory items are on the way. Neighborhood regulars have been asking, and she hopes to add a pop-up favorite — rissóis are like Portuguese empanadas, filled with shrimp and béchamel sauce — to the menu soon. Traditionally they’re fried, but hers are baked and served with a spicy house-made sauce.

To help with the delectable goodies, Rivera has a surprisingly robust staff through her work with the One Summer Chicago program. She loves the idea of offering someone their first job, so on top of her regular team, Cadinho employs six local Chicago young adults.