Pastel de nata champ crowned; new Somerset coffee shop: Top stories

Kristina Fontes, The Herald News
·4 min read

As we prepare to kick off a new week, let's take a look back at the week that was.

Top stories this past week included:

Another installment of Coaches Confidential, where we grant Fall River area high school basketball coaches anonymity and ask them a series of questions. This time: What is the best high school gymnasium you coached at during your career?

The latest Greater Fall River real estate report, featuring a multi-family home in Fall River that sold for $535,000. The 19th-century home on Howland Street is for three families and has a detached two-car garage. Check out this property, as well as other recent top-sellers.

These were the most read stories of the week on HeraldNews.com:

Who makes the best pastel de nata? Fall River or New Bedford?

The competition for who makes the best Portuguese treats on the SouthCoast is fierce, especially when it comes to pasteis de nata, traditional Portuguese custard cups.

Fall River and New Bedford recently went head-to-head in a Pastel de Nata Throwdown: tourism groups challenged residents to pick their favorite nata maker, and it might not have been an easy task, but it was a delicious one.

Pasteis de nata (Portuguese egg tarts) are a specialty at Europa Pastries and Coffee Shop in Fall River.
Pasteis de nata (Portuguese egg tarts) are a specialty at Europa Pastries and Coffee Shop in Fall River.

Foodies picked their favorite, but when it comes to a competition like this, everyone who gets to enjoy some dessert is a winner.

So who is the nata champion? Fall River or New Bedford?

Pastel de Nata Throwdown:Who makes the best pastel de nata? Fall River or New Bedford? Here's who won.

Soccer fields, playground, pickleball: What the Medeiros Farm transformation could include

The 22-acre Medeiros Farm on Bark Street in Swanea is on a journey to becoming a recreation site.

It was purchased by the town in 2021 with Community Preservation Act funding, and in December the town began working with BETA Group Inc. to create a site plan.

That site plan has been well-received so far, and the public will soon have a change to give input.

Voters also approved the purchase of 22 acres of land on Bark Street -- known locally as the Medeiros farm -- to be used as passive and active recreation, as well as for agricultural purposes.
Voters also approved the purchase of 22 acres of land on Bark Street -- known locally as the Medeiros farm -- to be used as passive and active recreation, as well as for agricultural purposes.

Before that, let's take a look at what the new park could include.

Soccer fields, playground, pickleball:What the Medeiros Farm transformation could include

What's brewing in Somerset: Boutique coffee shop opening second location

With the success of their Society Coffee Bar in Taunton, Westport husband and wife team Keith and Debra Viveiros are opening a second location in Somerset.

They're transforming the former St. Michael's Credit Union building on County Street into a boutique coffee shop and lounge.

Society Coffee Bar owners Keith and Debra Viveiros with Chino (short for cappuccino) at their new location on County Street in Somerset.
Society Coffee Bar owners Keith and Debra Viveiros with Chino (short for cappuccino) at their new location on County Street in Somerset.

According to Keith Viveiros, their goal is to provide high-quality java, delicious fast-service breakfast and lunch fare and baked treats, as well as become a hub for locals looking to unwind at the end of a long day.

See how they got their start, and how they plan to shake things up with a weekend cocktail lounge.

What's brewing in Somerset:Boutique coffee shop opening second location

Fall River icon Graham's Hot Dogs reopens after tax seizure

After being briefly shut down in February by the Department of Revenue, Graham’s Hot Dogs on Bedford Street is back.

Linda Seidl, who has operated Graham’s for three decades, said the business was only closed for a few days, after the DOR seized the diner’s assets for nonpayment of taxes in mid-February.

A passerby looks in the window at Graham's Hot Dogs at 931 Bedford St., in Fall River.
A passerby looks in the window at Graham's Hot Dogs at 931 Bedford St., in Fall River.

Seidl said a perfect storm of troubles all struck around the same time; Graham's has reopened quietly, and they've been busy but easing back into a rhythm with the business.

Graham's is back:Fall River icon Graham's Hot Dogs reopens after tax seizure: 'We're very, very lucky'

Dartmouth resident Jenny Slate turned heads at the 2023 Oscars, supporting two major films

Hollywood celebrated its biggest night this past week, and the SouthCoast was there for it.

Dartmouth resident Jenny Slate appeared at the 95th Academy Awards with two nominated films: "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" and "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

Milton native and Dartmouth resident Jenny Slate arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Milton native and Dartmouth resident Jenny Slate arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Slate, who lives in Dartmouth with husband Ben Shattuck, was there mainly for "Marcel The Shell With Shoes On," one of five nominees for Best Animated Feature.

The movie, which was released last June, is a feature adaptation of the popular stop-motion shorts and best-selling books Slate wrote with Dean Fleischer Camp, who also directed and plays a major role.

SouthCoast meets Hollywood:Dartmouth resident Jenny Slate turned heads at the 2023 Oscars, supporting two major films

Taunton Daily Gazette/Herald News copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Herald News Top 5 nata throwdown Medeiros Farm Graham's Hot Dogs