The French couple are delighted to start this adventure. / Photo DR

Practical information

Sweet Lily Bakery

3315 Cahuenga Blvd W, Los Angeles

Open from 7 am to 6 pm

More info here

For many, opening a bakery or restaurant is the best way to retrain and emigrate to the United States. For Thibaut Leymarie and Marine Le Faucheur, from the restaurant industry, it’s just the opposite. After having immersed themselves in Los Angeles for several years, the two French people will open the Sweet Lily Bakery on August 17 near the Universal studio.

The two in their thirties fell in love in Los Angeles after Marine Le Faucheur worked as a waitress in Cannes and then as manager of the Got Kosher restaurant in Los Angeles. Thibaut Leymarie, for his part, founded two bakeries in the Val d’Oise, before working for La Parisienne in the City of Angels. The birth of their daughter Lily inspired them to found Sweet Lily Bakery. “Thibaut wanted to bring back his know-how, to show what he can do”, explains Marine Le Faucheur.

The road was, however, more difficult than they anticipated. “And in particular to find a local”, admits the French, holder of a green card. “The banks didn’t want to lend us because Thibaut has an E2 Visa; the owners were suspicious because we are foreigners and we have only a small budget. ” The couple multiplied their searches and visits for a year and a half, trying to convince the owners with their project. They end up finding a space of 400 m2, well equipped for catering, and whose work is minimal.

In this airy place, they have 62 seats and offer products from breakfast to afternoon tea, including lunch (with an 18-dollar formula) and weekend brunches. Traditional bakery and pastry shop, Sweet Lily Bakery offers a wide variety of bread, pastries, cakes (including millefeuille, Paris-Brest, strawberry) but also quiches, pizzas and sandwiches at reasonable prices. “We added an American touch, with Eggs Benedict and bagels. We know that French cuisine does not appeal to everyone ”, comments Marine Le Faucheur, expatriate in the United States for nine years. The little extra: Thibaut Leymarie, who won the prize for the best chocolate eclair in Paris in 2012 (among others), is a goldsmith of mounted pieces, capable of reproducing the Eiffel Tower or a guitar, while sharpening your gluttony.

“As soon as we put money aside, we plan to develop a retail side”, details Marine Le Faucheur. And their project does not end there: they would also like to organize evenings for mothers and pastry afternoons for children. They hope to appeal to the neighborhood, which until then had no catering establishments and which houses numerous offices, movie studios and residences.

Due to the Covid-19 epidemic and the inability to serve customers inside, the two lovers will first focus on take-out and dining on the terrace. “Everyone thought we were crazy to open in the middle of a pandemic, but people still need to eat”, recalls the Frenchwoman for whom the biggest constraint remains the postponement of their inauguration, which they planned with great pomp. Until they can be completely open, they are increasing partnerships with restaurants, to which they sell breads and pastries. “Thibaut also dreams of opening a second bakery in another city, like San Francisco or Chicago.” But all in good time, the couple are currently dedicating themselves to their first entrepreneurial baby.

Practical information

Sweet Lily Bakery

3315 Cahuenga Blvd W, Los Angeles

Open from 7 am to 6 pm

More info here

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