• Jordan Barry ©️ Seven Days
• Mattarello Baked Goods

Winooski has a new destination for custom cakes and European treats. On April 16, Alma and Orhan Smailhodzic opened Mattarello Baked Goods at 25 Winooski Falls Way, Suite 110. The bright pink-and-gold-decorated space offers a wide array of bakery goods, as well as coffee and savory breakfast and lunch items.

Alma began her bakery business four years ago as a hobby, but demand for her elaborate wedding and birthday cakes quickly outgrew the capacity of the couple's Essex home.

"My home kitchen is really small," Alma said with a laugh. "And it's nice to not have to give people our home address."

The bakery and café is now a full-time job for both of them, with Orhan running behind-the-scenes operations and working the counter with a small staff.

• Jordan Barry ©️ Seven Days
• Orhan and Alma Smailhodzic

Originally from Bosnia, the couple draw inspiration from the cafés and dessert shops there. The menu features individual slices of cake to let customers sample before committing to larger custom orders, which currently require a five- to six-week lead time.

Mattarello — "rolling pin" in Italian — also offers harder-to-find Bosnian and European specialties such as honey cake, savory moussaka and a baklava cheesecake.

"I try to combine Bosnian traditional desserts with American," Alma said.

"She's putting things out and seeing how people respond," Orhan said.

The bakery is currently open Wednesday through Sunday. Eventually, the Smailhodzics hope to sell baked goods wholesale to local stores.