Michelin star chef opens Italian patisserie in downtown SLO. What’s on the menu?

A tucked away patisserie inside The Creamery in downtown San Luis Obispo is moving to its own location.

Breda, a chocolaterie and patisserie by Michelin star pastry chef Florencia Breda, is currently concealed inside Peruvian restaurant Mistura at 570 Higuera St.

But now, Breda and her wife Christine are taking on the task of expanding the shop to its own place on the same road. It will now replace what was previously Saints Barrel just a few blocks away at 1021 Higuera St.

“I think the first feeling is excitement, and I’m very proud, because it really was a very long journey,” Breda told The Tribune. “It’s mixed feelings, but Christine and I are very, very excited. The community supported me a lot, and I can’t wait to give back.”

The shop was set to open Monday and will bring an Italian ambiance inspired by Breda’s hometown of Venice, with an “Amalfi Coast vibe,” she said.

“As you walk through the path, you’re gonna pass our Venetian masks and the story of Venice,” she said. “And then you are gonna open up the door of the patio on these beautiful lemon trees and white fences and this creek side. So it’s very, very, very special. It’s a beautiful space.”

Breda said a Vespa would be parked in the shop, and the workers’ uniforms will be the same as the gondoliers that steer the gondolas in Venice through a partnership with the official supplier.

Beside the uniforms, the shop’s dishes will transport customers straight to Europe, Breda said. A lemon tree sits in the back patio, and sgroppino, a lemon sorbet topped with Prosecco, will be served.

“I can’t wait to make it a space where people can just open the door and for like, 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, however long they want to stay in, they can feel like they changed scenario,” Breda said. “Like, ‘Oh, I think we are in Italy, like, it’s kind of a different ambiance, you know? You can feel like I stepped in a different atmosphere for a little bit.”

What’s on the menu at new SLO patisserie and chocolaterie?

The atmosphere of Breda translates directly to the food served, Breda said.

Afternoon teas, European breakfast options, charcuterie, classic Italian dishes and of course, desserts, will be on the menu.

“It’s all things that I struggle to find around here, like very authentic flavors, you know, that reminds me of home,” she said. “So I hope to bring that here.”

For building the chocolate creations and baked goods in display cases, Breda said that art is her main inspiration.

“I love to think of ... chocolate as a form of art, you know?” Breda said. “We display them on canvases, and it, for me, really is art, because it is a process to hand paint each chocolate. I get a lot of inspiration, actually, from real art, like paintings.”

The pastry chef’s travels to the south of France, London, Italy and the Central Coast also are a source of inspiration for unique dishes.

“So I just think, in your flavors, sometimes you go somewhere and you just find something that you’ve never tried before, and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, I wonder how this would work with, this was what I want to do,’ or new flavors” she said. “So it is an inspiration to me and comes really from a lot of different places that I don’t even expect sometimes.”

Breda’s new location has been a long time coming. Just check out her tattoo of a chef hat and ponytail that she says symbolizes her journey.

“That’s a tattoo I did when I was working in London,” the pastry chef said. “But basically what it really means is just the passion for my work. ... Through hard times, I just look at it and I’m like, ‘OK, let’s keep going.’ And this is my passion.”

For more information

Breda was expected to open Monday at 1021 Higuera St.

For more information, visit its website breda-slo.com.

This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 5:00 AM.