Fall River-Based Portuguese Muffin Bakery Moving to Tiverton

A third-generation bakery specializing in Portuguese muffins, otherwise known as bolo levedo, is moving from Fall River, Mass., to Tiverton.

The Tiverton Town Council last week approved a victualing license for Central Bakery to open at 70 Shove Street.

The bakery does not have a retail storefront. Instead, it operates a substantial wholesale business.

David Lopes said the bakery is a family business that has been in operation for more than 40 years. 

"We make Portuguese muffins and ship them across the country," he said. "We're expanding, we found a nice building in town and we're moving on with the family tradition."

The bakery started in 1975 at the hand of Tiberio C. Lopes, who got the recipe from his mother-in-law. 

In 1989, the elder Lopes told the New York Times that the popularity of their muffins spread by word of mouth. 

"New York knows about by muffins because of Cape Cod,"  where they're sold in stores, he said.