TravelingTexans2010 on Trip Advisor 6 years ago
08/21/2016, 08:43 AM
Paradise Indeed!!
I admit it. I am a pastry snob. As such, I am very difficult to impress when it comes to any sort of baked goods because I usually feel the product looks better than it tastes. When living in New England, I developed a sense for what a really good bakery should be- and there are many of them throughout the area. After my husband's naval service ended, we moved back to Texas, where we had both been raised. With a handful of exceptions in the greater DFW area, bakeries here are just not on par with the ones I loved in New England.
But Mansfield now has one of those exceptional bakeries to call our own; Pastry Paradise. I first noticed this bakery when visiting my dentist who happens to be nearby. After I left the dental office, I wanted to check it out, but they do not open until 10:00. Upon returning home, I got on my computer and found that Efua Prah, originally from West Africa, is CEO and pastry chef of Pastry Paradise. She is both well educated in her field and has many years of experience in top notch hotel restaurants. All of this made me even more intrigued about this bakery! On my visit (during regular hours), I purchased a sampling of items from a few categories; cookie, danish, cinnamon roll, and a Napoleon. Everything was very well done, but the Napoleon was pure ecstasy! I also met the owner, chef, counter person, and cashier... Mrs. Prah does it all. She is a very hardworking lady with a very "sweet" disposition. I do not know how she found her way from Ghana, Africa to Mansfield, TX, but I certainly am happy that she did.
The next trip I sampled some cakes and breakfast bread, my favorite was the German chocolate cake because it is just like mine, homemade from scratch-- it absolutely rocks, and I didn't have to clean up my kitchen. I had to share it with my husband, so I returned the following day for another slice and on that visit I met Mr. Prah. He seemed slightly uncomfortable in his role but that had zero effect on the quality of the baked goods. Hubs said the cheesecake with berries was wonderful, I didn't try a bite because I am not really a fan of cheesecake. There are still so many things left to try but I must pace myself. I've never run into any sort of crowd here like I've experienced and some other nearby bakeries that are not anywhere near as good. I am hopeful that others are finding Paradise, just doing so at a different time than when I've been there. I need them to stay in business for a good long while. I highly recommend this place if you have any sort of sweet tooth, or know someone who does.