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May opened its doors on the 1st of June in Esch-sur-Alzette. This bakery-patisserie aims to bring its specialties from Brazil and its expertise in Luxembourgish creations.
It is heartwarming to see a new business opening its doors on the neglected Alzette street in Esch-sur-Alzette. Located on a pedestrian street, not far from the Hôtel de Ville’s square, the baker and pastry chef Marcelo Patrick Zarpelon and his wife, Valdirene May, decided to open May, last Saturday, the 1st of June, 2024.
Straight from the South of Brazil
Coming straight from Joinville, a coastal town in the South of Brazil, the couple decided to move to Luxembourg two years ago with their three children. Already bakers and pastry chefs in the state of Santa Catarina, considered the “most German state of Brazil” and home to numerous families from Luxembourg, they were already familiar with the favorite recipes of the area, for instance, the unmissable “forêt noire”.
From pão de queijo to “forêt noire”
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Here, they present Brazilian specialties, as well as German and Luxembourgish recipes. Thus, we pass a stall filled with different sweet treats like biscuits made from maize flour and guava, or cheese and guava sweet bread, the Romeu and Julieta, or savory delicacies such as the ever-popular pão de queijo, the esfirra with minced meat and cheese, or the bauru made with puff pastry, cheese, and tomatoes. Everything is homemade and on-site.
In this large shop with high ceilings and simple decor in light blue and beige, which welcomes up to 50 table settings and 24 on the terrace, it is also possible to have lunch: “We prepare traditional Brazilian dishes, like omelets, and also picanha, or the special of the day at €14,” comments the bakery-pastry chef, who also dons the hat of the cook.
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A not-so-simple installation
Yet, the installation has not been smooth for the newcomers, despite Valdirene May’s Luxembourgish nationality. “All the banks closed their doors and we are constantly negotiating,” the owner laments, adding that he received priceless support from “Dylan Soares, of economic affairs in Esch-sur-Alzette.”
The family business May opened its doors in Esch-sur-Alzette thanks to the municipality’s multiculturality. “It is a large city and there are a lot of Brazilians and Portuguese here,” explains the couple. And, a couple of days after the opening of the bakery-patisserie, many passers-by and curious onlookers stopped in the new shop on Alzette street. We wish them “Boa sorte!*”.
*”Good Luck”
May
24, rue de l’Alzette
4010 Esch-sur-Alzette
Open from Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6.30pm
@may.luxembourg
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