Matilda’s, a new powerhouse bakery that mostly sells more than 3,000 pastries every week, opened in early October in a restored 1940s administrative building at the Santa Monica Airport. With so much early interest, the bakery has already experienced
45-minute lines with customers clamoring to secure croissants, sausage rolls, Danishes, cookies, sandwiches, baguettes, and sample Matilda’s butter tasting menu, which encompasses eight different tastes and styles.
Owner and restaurateur Sean Martin took over the building in 2022 and recruited former social marketing campaign maker and founding baker Francois Pied. Pied tells Eater he’s been overwhelmed by the response. “I am still processing it, to be honest,” he says. “I was not expecting this level of commitment from people to stand in line.” On October 12, the shop issued an Instagram apology and thanked those who stood in line for pastries its first few weeks.
Pied, who was born in France, tapped Abel Pulsifer (Brooklyn’s Radio Bakery) as lead baker; the duo met at Bub and Grandma’s before working on Matilda’s, which is named after Martin’s daughter. Matilda starts by sourcing its flour from Hayden Flour Mills, which specializes in reviving ancient and forgotten grains. The duo slow-ferments their pastry dough for at least 18 hours, with a four-day process for butter, ham and cheese, almond, or pain au chocolat croissants. The menu also offers chocolate chip cookies, sausage rolls that have been flying off the shelves, and honey butter or traditional brioche. Seasonal Danishes keep the lineup interesting, including one inspired by shakshuka with a bechamel-pepper base and jammy eggs, along with sandwiches filled with ham and Comté. Matilda’s serves coffee and matcha drinks from Caffè Luxxe.
Born near Brittany and raised in Sévérac (adjacent to Bordeaux), Pied was inspired to combine the characteristics of France’s two distinct regions; the non-sourdough baguette blends the rawness of Brittany with the sophistication of Bordeaux. “There is a wholesomeness to Brittany’s culinary approach,” says Pied. “You get the roughness of the land and sea, including raw and earthy salt from Brittany. Bordeaux is a bit more delicate and a little more refined.”
Matilda’s butter lineup, which spans eight varietals, can be paired with a choice of bread. Options include Paysan Breton studded with salt harvested by hand in the historic medieval walled town of Guérande, Échiré butter sourced from the Loire Valley, and tangy Pepe Saya from Pennsylvania. The menu also offers goat butter and a plant-based option that uses coconut oil, rapeseed oil, and fermented cashew to make it more pungent.
Matilda’s joins a field of outstanding Southern California bakeries including Clark Street, Bub and Grandma’s, Lodge Bread, Gusto Bread, and Jyan Isaac. The modern, airy dining room clocks in at 1,800 square feet while an outdoor terrace adds another 1,000 square feet to make for a spacious indoor-outdoor feel.
Pied still considers himself an early baker, having transitioned from a corporate career building social campaigns for Apple, Sony Movie, Robinhood, Dunkin’, and Taco Bell. “I came into this project two and a half years ago,” says Pied. “So much goes into it, but the process solidified that I wanted to do this for a living and gave me the time to properly get serious about it and be credible in front of a team of bakers.”
Matilda’s is open Wednesday to Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 3200 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA, 90405.
