West Boca is getting a little piece of Soho. Maman, the French-inspired café and bakery that started on a New York street corner in 2014, opens on Tuesday, October 6, at Shadowood Square, 9959 Glades Road. Expect house-made pastries, a full espresso and tea bar, and breakfast and lunch plates to eat in or carry out.

Two kitchens, one ocean apart

Maman means mother in French, and the brand is built on that idea. Founders Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, one from North America and one from the south of France, opened the first Maman in Soho in October 2014 as a grab-and-go café meant to feel like a home away from home. The recipes are a nod to both of their mothers. In February 2015 they opened a French-style rotisserie spinoff, Papa Poule, across the street from the Soho café, and by that July they had crossed the border to Toronto. Since then the brand has grown steadily, and today Maman has cafés across North America, a cookbook and a nationwide cookie and gift shop.

Palm Beach County already knows the look: Maman has a café at CityPlace in West Palm Beach. Shadowood brings it to the western suburbs, where it is closer to home for families in west Boca and the communities along Glades Road.

What the room feels like

Maman cafés read more like a country house in the south of France than a coffee shop, and the Boca café follows the formula with imported vintage furniture and French-inspired decor. It is as good for a long catch-up over a latte as it is for a quick pastry on the way to work.

What to order

The pastry case is the reason most people walk in, and the cookies are the reason they come back: Maman sells them nationwide through its cookie and gift shop. Opening this month also means opening into Maman's fall menu, which includes a limited-edition collaboration with Martha Stewart, apple fritter matchas and pumpkin pie croissant cubes. At lunch the savory side runs to salads, sandwiches and wraps, with espresso drinks and teas all day.

For busy days, the Maman app handles contactless pickup and delivery and runs a loyalty program. The company also caters, with seasonal menus that go from coffee and pastries to sandwiches and salads, which makes it an easy call for an office breakfast, a shower or a book club.

Opening day

Shadowood Square's owner, EDENS, is marking the grand opening with pop-ups from neighboring shops and giveaways. If you want to be part of it, come early on Tuesday.

How to skip the line

Download the Maman app before you go. It handles ordering ahead for pickup, so you can grab a coffee and a pastry without waiting at the counter on a busy morning, and it tracks loyalty perks over time. New users get a free cookie with a first app purchase of $20 or more, which is about the price of a breakfast for two.

A Shadowood on the rise

Maman is the latest arrival at Shadowood Square, the Glades Road center EDENS has been remaking with new tenants, more green space and a more walkable layout. New openings there are scheduled into spring 2027, and the café is the kind of everyday stop that makes a shopping center feel like a neighborhood.

If you go

Hours and menus can change in the first weeks, so check the app before you go. Then get the cookie.