Padoca Bakery & Market Brings Brazilian Specialties to the Mayfair Neighborhood

Paula Lowery jokes that she has three children: her toddler, her newborn and her bakery, Padoca, which she owns and operates with her husband, Chase. Although the pandemic forced them to push back its launch for more than a year, the Lowerys were finally able to open their Mayfair cafe and bakery, at 950A Jersey Street, in September 2021.

Lowery and her husband moved to Denver from Brazil almost eight years ago to be closer to his family, but she didn't realize how much she'd miss home, specifically the food of her home state, Minas Gerais, in southeast Brazil. Besides the meat-focused rodizio-style eateries, Lowery couldn't find anything similar to the warm cheese breads, croquettes and cakes that she craved.

She'd always loved to bake, and with the full support of her husband behind her, she left her corporate job to start a catering company from her home. "My mom always loved to cook, and I learned a lot from her. Then when I moved here...I wanted to learn more. I am always trying to bake the stuff that I was missing," says Lowery. "Inspiration comes from my state, what I learned from my mom and by myself — just Googling and experimenting."
Brazil has many savory baked goods that Lowery wanted to showcase. She perfected her recipe for the popular pão de queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread, which are available fresh as well as frozen. She also learned to make several kinds of pot pies, including chicken and cream cheese.

Then there are the sweets. Lowery's cakes are decadent, like a Brazilian carrot cake that, unlike the American version, is bright orange and topped with chocolate. She makes several types of truffles using brigadeiro — a type of Brazilian chocolate fudge. She says some people compare the ingredient to caramel, but to her, there's nothing quite like it in America.

Lowery connected with Denver's Brazilian community via a Facebook group. She posted photos of her creations and began catering get-togethers like baby showers and birthday parties, with her husband running delivery. After two years, she outgrew her kitchen and began looking for a brick-and-mortar retail space. And, although the business has also outgrown delivery, it still does a lot of catering, especially around special events and holidays.
In Portuguese, "padoca" is a slang term for a neighborhood bakery, which made finding the right neighborhood key for Lowery. When a space that formerly housed a spa became available in Mayfair, she and her husband felt it was right because it's near a park where their daughter likes to play and is central enough to be accessible to Brazilians in other parts of the city. They signed the lease In March 2020.
"It’s just a great community and a beautiful neighborhood, and we wanted the Brazilians to go to a beautiful place because we are far from home," notes Lowery.

In order to combat the delays and unknowns from COVID, the couple completed the renovations themselves. When Padoca opened, Lowery says, she was surprised by the neighborhood turnout: Those within walking distance have truly made Padoca their padoca. "We thought that the bakery would be just for the Brazilian community because they were waiting for so long," she admits. But by her estimation, about 50 percent of the bakery's clientele are non-Brazilians.

In addition to baked goods, Padoca doubles as a small market with Brazilian foods. It also serves coffee drinks made with beans from Sao Paolo, and acai bowls made with the Brazilian version of the berries from the Amazon.

Padoca Brazilian Bakery & Market is located at 950A Jersey Street and is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. For more information or to place an order, call or text 720-520-0074.