Credit: Submitted Photo

Credit: Submitted Photo

He said to be a chef, you need to dominate in all aspects of cooking. When he lived in Baltimore, MD, he took time to study French pastry at Patissiere Poupon.

He and his wife, Luisa, moved to Yellow Springs in 2011 to be closer to her family. Rios operated a food truck, La Pampa Mobile Grill, for 12 years before closing in July 2023 to pursue Matria. With this new endeavor, he feels reinspired.

Rios started Matria after noticing a new appreciation for handmade pastries over the last few years. He currently bakes out of Spark Fairborn, a combination incubator kitchen and co-working space.

Prior to opening at 2nd Street Market, his pastries could be found at Emporium and Dino’s in Yellow Springs. This gave Rios the confidence to continue to invest in his new venture.

Customers at 2nd Street Market can expect three to four different types of croissants each week. He’s made black forest, crème brûlée and brownie croissants, as well as more traditional flavors such as butter and almond.

He’s also put an Argentinean twist on the croissants by using quince paste or zapallo en almibar (caramelized squash).

This month he featured his version of an apple turnover with apples from Peifer Orchards in Yellow Springs. He’s also made caracola pastries with gold raisin apricot jam and croissant dough.

As a special treat, he’s offered Argentinean pastries such as facturas or medialuna. These pastries are made through a different process and feature a different type of dough.

Rios is a one man team that makes all pastries by hand from scratch, using traditional techniques. His dedication to the craft is shown through the honeycomb-like structure that’s created through the lamination process with the croissants. The inside of the croissants are light and airy with a flakiness of the crust on the outside.

He’s excited to join 2nd Street Market and appreciates the warm welcome they’ve received from the community.

MORE DETAILS

Matria is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at 2nd Street Market, located at 600 E. Second St. The croissanterie is next to Caffeine Carl.

For more information, visit Matria’s Facebook or Instagram (@matriapatisserie) pages.