One of the country’s best French bakeries occupies an industrial, ground-floor space in a former vocational school in South Philly. The croissants are light and buttery-rich, the focaccia is airy and chewy, and the tangy lemon cream tarts fill the case in tidy rows. Machine Shop’s (@machineshopphilly) retail space opened this year, after operating as a wholesale operation then a pandemic pop-up, finally connecting customers with Emily Ridell’s (@emilyaliceriddell) spiced morning buns and jam-dotted kouign-amann in a permanent home. There is hardly a pastry technique that she has not mastered. Just like many of the restaurants in Philly’s tight-knit food scene, Ridell’s extraordinary boulangerie is a community effort, with furniture made by friends and branding by her favorite tattoo artists. Machine Shop embodies high standards of excellence without any of the pretension. It’s just how things are done in Philadelphia. Click the link in bio to read more about Machine Shop’s pastries. ✏️: Dayna Evans (@hidayna), former Eater Philly editor 📸: Gab Bonghi (@gabonghi)