By Gretchen Webster

Mrs. London’s Bakery and Cafe has sold its Westport location at 44 Church Lane to Maman, a New York-based hospitality group that started as a high-end bakery in the SoHo area in the city in 2014 and now has over 30 locations on the East Coast and in Canada.

Customers enjoyed bakery treats and coffee on Sunday at Mrs. London’s Bakery and Café, 44 Church Lane. The bakery and café has been sold to Maman, a New York hospitality company and bakery. Photo by Gretchen Webster.

Maman, which means “mother” in French, was started by founders Benjamin Sormonte and Elisa Marshall, and operates cafes, bakeries and event spaces, calling themselves a “coffee, bakery, and kitchen” company with a French flair on the company’s website.

It is not yet clear when Mrs. London’s, which opened the Westport location in April 2022, will close and when Maman’s will take over the space, according to both the staff at Mrs. London’s in Westport, and to Clay Englehart, a public relations representative for Mrs. London’s.

“The exact dates are not clear at the moment,” Englehart said of the departure of Mrs. London’s and the arrival of the Maman in Westport.

Mrs. London’s, which is headquartered in Saratoga, N.Y., “will be involved in the rejuvenation of several local restaurant brands, with further announcements expected in the near future,” owner Max London said in a press release sent out by Maman on Monday.

“We’ve been given the opportunity to expand nationwide with some of our key menu items, thereby broadening our reach beyond brick and mortar. So despite our success with this location, the timing just made sense,” London said.

The owners and managers of the Mrs. London’s Westport shop were not available for comment on Monday.

A selection of treats that customers have enjoyed at Mrs. London’s Bakery and Café. Photo by Gretchen Webster.

The building where Mrs. London’s is located, owned by David Waldman, a developer and president of David Adam Realty, has been for sale. But the sale of the property, which also includes some apartments, will not impact the sale of Mrs. London’s business, Waldman said on Monday.

Mrs. London’s has been a popular spot in downtown Westport since it opened, with small events being held there and shoppers, families, those on a coffee break and others gathering there daily.

The Westport location of Maman will be the second location for the company in Connecticut, which also has a location in Greenwich.

Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.

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