Cakes, teas and more: Portuguese American Mom blogger branches out with new shop in Westport

WESTPORT – After releasing her own cookbook this year, Portuguese American Mom blogger Stacy Silva-Boutwell is on to a new venture: Stacycakes Tea Shoppe and Cakery.

The new shop, located in Westport’s central village, highlights Silva-Boutwell’s two main endeavors: Portuguese American foods and her online baking business, Stacycakes, paired with high-quality loose-leaf teas.

Now fans of her cakes and pastries will have a destination to enjoy cupcakes and other treats while sipping on a cup of tea. And for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, she’s offering a full range of takeout options including pies, cakes, Portuguese desserts and sides including her Portuguese stuffing made with her family’s recipe.

For tea lovers, there’s a lot to choose from to either bring home to enjoy later, give as a gift or in keeping with COVID-19 social distancing, to enjoy at a private tea there with a few friends or family.

For the loose-leaf teas, Silva-Boutwell said it was important for her to choose tea brands that had a strong female presence. “One of the companies I’m working with imports from a women-owned and women-run company in Thailand. And the other company is a female-owned distributor based in Massachusetts,” she said. “It was very important for me to be able to use my buying power that way.”

The teas, sold in sachets by the ounce (or in a tea bag-sized sachet to be consumed on site) include black, green and herbal teas. The assortment of a dozen or so tea blends includes Hazelnut Chai, Hibiscus Black Tea, Ginger Lemongrass, Bourbon Vanilla, Sweet Orange Cinnamon, Chamomile, Hibiscus Mint Herbal, and her personal favorite, Butterfly Herbal, featuring notes of citrus, rock candy and bamboo.

“I’m so excited. It’s been months getting this place up and running,” she said.

There’s one table that seats six inside the shop, a love seat and seating outdoors. She plans to offer private tea for six people when the shop itself is closed. “They’ll just have me and their family and friends, so it’s really COVID friendly,” she said. “Eventually what I’d love to do is themed tea parties. I was thinking one Sunday a month and pick a theme; Mad Hatter, ‘Downton Abbey’ or Princess Belle….”

The pre-booked 90-minute teas for six will feature a scone course, a tea/sandwich course and a dessert course. She has seating outside and the table/seating area inside that will be available to customers when the shop is open, depending on space.

After years of publishing her recipes on her blog, the Portuguese American Mom, Silva-Boutwell released her first cookbook, “Easy Portuguese Cookbook; Recipes to Bring Home the Flavors of Portugal” last June with publisher Rockridge Press. The book will be available at the shop as will jars of her pimenta moida Portuguese red pepper sauce that is the foundation of many of the recipes in the book.

For Christmas, Silva-Boutwell is also planning to offer customized gift baskets with the teas and other products available at the shop. And all of the cakes and baked goods she makes for Stacycakes customers will also now be sold through the shop.

Stacycakes Tea Shoppe and Cakery is located at Westport Village Commons, 762 Main Road, Westport.

For more information, visit her website, http://thepamom.com/