c. 1946-
Maria Coutunho was born in Portugal and settled in Newark in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, her and her husband established Coutinho’s Bakery, which spread to multiple storefronts in Newark and Harrison. A 1995 profile stated she supervised every cake before it left Newark and sat down with every client. The bakery made all kinds of bread and desserts from traditions including Italian, Jewish, French and Portuguese, with some of the most popular items being Portuguese rolls and pastel de nata. She said, “My family has been in the baking business for more than 200 years….I try to make every cake one-of-a-kind.”
Civically, Maria was active in the PTA and the Portuguese community. She was a volunteer for the Special Olympics and participated in the Worldwide Conference on Portuguese Migrant Women. In 1997, her son Albert became the first person of Portuguese ancestry inducted to the State Assembly.
In 1999, Maria was inducted into the Newark Women’s Hall of Fame.
Bibliography
“Women of high achievement” Star Ledger Mar 25, 1999
Fryberger, Sarah “Baker’s cater to individual tastes” Star Ledger Jun 19, 1994
“Cakes” Star Ledger Jun 11, 1995 and Sept 24, 1995
Roberts, Reginald, “Portuguese King Cake” Star Ledger Dec 27, 1996
Burton, Cynthia “First Portuguese…” Star Ledger May 23, 1997
Ehrismann, Rose “The upper crust” Star Ledger Jun 3, 1998
Photo, Booker Photos, Newark Library
https://patch.com/new-jersey/newarknj/bernardino-coutinho-honored-by-essex-county
https://lusoamericano.com/pride-and-patriotism-at-the-portugal-day-parade-in-newark-n-j/