Ciao, amore, ciao. In 2015, the closure of Martinottis’, an ancient downtown fixture, meant saying goodbye to one of the city’s few Italian markets. The popularity of Italian restaurants waned, too, says Adam Berger, whose restaurant Tabla shuttered in 2016 after a 14-year run. “There were a ton of Italian restaurants, and then that all died for years, and other trends took over.”

Then, two years ago, Bella’s Italian Bakery & Market set up shop in Lents selling Italian baked goods and pantry items. “We’re just a fun, quirky bakery way out in East Portland,” says chef-owner Michelle Vernier. “We’re not fancy, but we make everything fresh by hand every day.”