OUR STORY
The home of the Pastel De Nata
Pastel de nata, also known as Portuguese egg tart, is a pastry that originated in Lisbon, Portugal. It is believed to have been created by Catholic monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in the early 18th century. The recipe was kept a secret until the monastery was shut down in 1834.
The pastel de nata consists of a flaky pastry shell filled with a custard-like egg cream and is typically dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. It has become a popular dessert not only in Portugal but also worldwide.
Where it all began
Tuga Pastries started as a hole in the wall bakery producing pasteis de nata from a traditional family recipe recreated by Diogo Ferreira. Diogo’s father, Agostinho Ferreira, a pastry chef in Portugal, migrated to Australia in 1985, bringing with him his Portuguese tradition and culture including his beloved secret pastel de nata recipe.
In 1994, Agostinho and his wife Lucia started their first bakery, Fleur de lys, in Bondi beach. They later moved to Bondi junction in 1997, and then expanded into a Marrickville factory where they were hand producing 9000 pastries and cakes and 3000 pasteis de nata, per day.
The Family Tradition Continues
After the passing of Diogos father, he started “Village on Cloey” – a small cafe in Clovelly, reflective of those in the villages of Portugal. With this new space, Diogo focused his efforts to recreate his father’s famous pastel de nata. To perfect the recipe, Diogo began a long, enduring trial and error period which lasted 6 months, until he produced pasteis de nata that tasted the same as his father’s
Today, three beautiful locations
Once demand increased for the pasteis de nata, and a small shop front became available a few doors down from Village on Cloey, Tuga Pastries was born. Today, Diogo has expanded Tuga Pastries with a second location in Alexandria and relaunched Village on Cloey as Tuga x Village.
Tuga Pastries, Clovelly
Tuga Pastries, Alexandria
