If the aroma of a freshly baked, soft, flaky, buttery croissant sends your salivary glands into overdrive, do not go to Reis’ Bakery in west Omaha—you may never want to leave.
The unique offerings of breads, pastries, and desserts in this European-inspired bakery and café at 119th and Pacific streets have captured the taste buds of Omahans so quickly and so convincingly, owners Aires and Judith Reis (pronounced “Reese”) shake their heads in disbelief.
“We opened our doors on Friday, May 30th, 2023,” said Judith, adding that Channel 7 had aired a preview of the bakery beforehand. “The next day, Saturday, we opened at 8 and the line waiting at the door extended around the parking lot. We sold out by 9:30.”
Since that first day, the popularity of Reis’ Bakery has risen faster than a loaf of bread.
How did a couple from Brooklyn, New York, who moved to Omaha only two years ago, redefine the baking scene almost overnight? Part of the answer lies in the impressive amount of publicity the bakery has garnered in newspapers, newscasts, local podcasts like “Restaurant Hoppen,” social media, and good old-fashioned word-of-mouth.
“I attended a luncheon and one of the ladies mentioned Reis’, so I went there and bought a small, puffy pastry with a fresh cherry puree, and it was absolutely lovely,” said Gabriella Castro, who willingly traded the South Bronx for Omaha many decades ago and makes it her mission to spread the word about unique Omaha destinations. “It was sweet, but not too sweet like American pastries. I’m concerned about sugar.”
Favoring flavor over sweetness gives Reis’ pastries a unique taste, as does the main ingredient.
“I wanted to achieve an authentic, international product, and American flour wasn’t giving me what I wanted,” said Aires. “I achieved authenticity with French flour.”
What’s the difference?
“The way it’s milled,” he answered succinctly. “And the protein levels are different; less additives.” Aires also uses French butter, with its higher butterfat content, and all French chocolates. “Everything is natural and made from scratch.”
In an unexpected but rewarding twist, many customers who suffer from gluten intolerance can eat anything Reis’ offers, despite the fact French flour contains gluten. Once again, Aires credits the milling process.
That has only added to the bakery’s considerable popularity. “We’re stunned,” Judith said. “People keep walking in and telling us, ‘This is what Omaha has needed.’”
Due to the demand, the bakery now sells both French flour and French butter.
The French connection provides one of many impressive facts embedded in the couple’s backstory. Aires, Brazilian-born and American-raised, enlisted in the Navy as a teenager and served for 18 years. One evening, on leave back home in Brooklyn, he met 19-year-old Judith Talavera through friends. They discovered they had both grown up in the Red Hook section, “but from opposite side of the tracks,” Judith cracked, referring to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel that separated them.
They’ve been married 43 years.
Aires had lived in Italy early in his Navy career. As a couple, he and Judith lived in Portugal and Iceland. Returning to Brooklyn after the service, they stayed busy raising their three daughters. Then came the attacks on September 11, 2001, which affected them deeply.
“I watched Tower One come down,” said Aires. “I knew then I wanted to do something for my country.”
He eventually joined NATO as a senior procurement officer. The family moved to Luxembourg, whence Aires deployed to Afghanistan seven to nine months of the year during Operation Enduring Freedom. When united, the family enjoyed savoring the cuisine of Europe.
With their daughters now grown, Aires and Judith decided to sell their Brooklyn home and come to Omaha, where their oldest daughter, Kristi Wampler, lives with her husband and four daughters. Once settled, Aires began experimenting full time with his baking.
“He was creating, I was enjoying,” laughed Judith. “I enjoy cooking savory meals, but I’m not a baker.”
At Kristi’s urging, and with help from her Facebook page, Aires and Judith started selling baked goods from their west Omaha home in November 2022. By January, so great was the demand for these flavorful pastries, the family began looking for a brick-and-mortar space. They eventually found the perfect spot: the old Cupcake Island store near Brother Sebastian’s Steakhouse, where all the equipment they needed was already in place.
For anyone who has never set foot on “the Continent,” some of the offerings at Reis’ may require an explanation and/or pronunciation, like kouign amann (“queen-ah-mahn”), a small, circular, buttery, intricately layered cake with a crispy, caramelized topping. The flavor defies mere words.
“When somebody asks, ‘What’s kouign amman?’ we just say, ‘Here. Try this.’ You can’t describe [the taste],” Judith said.
As the sole baker, Aires spends his time in the back of the house while Judith uses her administrative skills at the front counter and keeps the books. She also helps prep the next day’s baked goods.
The couple admits moving to Omaha from Brooklyn brought culture shock…but for the better. People have been warm, kind, friendly, “and they don’t honk their horn less than a nanosecond after the light turns green,” deadpanned Aires.
Sounds like the gift giving flows both ways.
For more information, visit bakedbyreis.com.
This article originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
