Tzurit’s global palate and varied tastes come from her upbringing in Tel Aviv, Israel. Growing up, Tzurit functioned as her mother’s helper in the kitchen, learning the intricacies of all manner of dough, from yeasted rolls to halva to piecrust. “One of my all-time favorite dishes to make and eat was the cheesecake,” Tzurit says. “We used to make double the crust and topping we needed just for us to snack on; it was that good. Those same cheesecakes and yeasted rolls I made growing up are the ones we offer at Tatte today.” Tatte also offers savory items reminiscent of Tzurit’s homeland—cheese bourekas, Jerusalem bagels, fattoush, and one of the best versions of shakshuka you’re likely to find: Enjoy dipping fresh baked challah into a slightly spicy tomato sauce spiked with bell peppers, feta cheese, and parsley, with eggs that poach directly in the sauce.
But of all of Tatte’s pastries, the croissant is perhaps the one that shines brightest. The bakery offers 11 different incarnations, with flavors ranging from monkey bread to pistachio. One of the bakery’s most popular, the buttery Apple Croissant, recalls a crunchy, sugary bite of apple pie. You can tell from each bite that to make a Tatte croissant is a labor of love. To Tzurit, all baking is. Opening bakeries wasn’t initially Tzurit’s plan. For more than a decade, she worked in film production. Tzurit says she moved to the United States in 2003 with every intention of continuing along that career path, but cultural differences and a language barrier proved daunting. So she started to bake.
She began baking in her home kitchen—for up to 20 hours a day—and sold her goods to various farmers’ markets in Boston. After just one summer, she opened the first brick-and-mortar version of Tatte in 2008 on Beacon Street in Brookline, less than a mile from the baseball mecca of Fenway Park. More than a decade later, Tzurit operates 11 Tatte locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline. Further expansion seems to be on the horizon for Tatte.
“Our mission is to inspire and touch every person, neighborhood, and city with the Tatte experience,” says Tzurit. “Tatte provides so many people a sense of home, a place they feel they belong, a place they love sharing with their loved ones. It’s magical.”
For now, one must come to Boston for a taste of Tzurit’s exquisite baked goods. But that might not be the case for very long.
