Prior to opening the crêperie, I had always felt like I wanted to open a business. I felt confident about my skills in operations, but not as much about how to actually execute it. My wife Evelyn, on the other hand, had always wanted to do something like this and is excellent at executing a plan and making things happen. I know how to cook, she is an expert at paperwork.
When I came to the US thirteen years ago, I worked in restaurants as a server, handled banquets, and worked in a coffee shop. I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do ultimately, but I felt certain it would be in the food service industry. I really had to learn how Americans eat, as it’s quite different from the French. Also, I knew I did not want a full-service restaurant; instead, I envisioned something more on the fast-casual side, with a grab-and-go element that fits with the current time period and tastes. Immediately when I thought of that concept, my mind went to crêpes, as they are an on-the-go favorite in France. As a business school graduate and a self-taught chef, I started out with some serious testing, studying, and financial projections.
We ended up opening in Worcester in the middle of the pandemic, which was really terrifying—we’d put our savings into it and had no idea what would happen. We just started to work really hard on our marketing and products, which included macarons and Julia Child-inspired, pre-made meals to go, along with our crêpes. We wanted to offer staples—such as Beef Bourguignon—that people would love and could be refrigerated or frozen to eat immediately or at another time.
When it came to opening a second location in Thornes, we had to do some studying and really consider how we could make it work, given that I was already working long hours at the Worcester cafe. That said, we felt like it could be feasible given how small we are—it was just a matter of careful planning and organizing. We are thrilled to be in Northampton and to be an integral part of the Thornes community.