meet kevin matos
The Creative Behind Café Alma
Kevin Matos didn't stumble into the restaurant world, but was born into it. By the time he was seven years old, he was already showing up at Matos Bakery in Pawtucket, the family business his father built from the ground up. He swept floors, watched the bakers work, and soaked up everything around him. Thirty years later, that bakery is still going strong — and Kevin still calls it the Mother Bakery.
After years of honing his technique, refining his palate, and figuring out who he was as a cook, Kevin kept coming back to the same market gap. Here was one of the most vibrant Portuguese-American communities in New England, yet no proper tasca/café experience. He saw this as an opportunity to create a place that served the culture as much as the food.
THE HEART OF ALMA
Community Means Everything
Kevin's vision for Café Alma has always been bigger than the menu. He wants Warren Avenue to be officially recognized as "Little Portugal" — a cultural destination that celebrates the deep roots of East Providence's Portuguese-American community and draws visitors from across New England who want to experience it firsthand.
In summer 2026, Café Alma will serve as the exclusive café vendor inside the PUMA House of Portugal — a FIFA World Cup experience at Waterplace Pavilion in downtown Providence. It's a milestone that Kevin never could have predicted when he first unlocked the door at 229 Warren Avenue, but one that feels perfectly right.
Warren Avenue is just the beginning. Café Alma was born from the Mother Bakery, built for this neighborhood, and designed to last. Pull up a chair. You're exactly where you're supposed to be.