Victoria Effantin and Cécile Khayat were destined to meet. While one leans slightly toward the savory and the other toward the sweet, both are obsessed with the same thing: what they've just eaten or what they might nibble on next. When they first crossed paths in 2015, one was working in marketing at Marlette, a brand specializing in cake mixes, while the other was at Lov Organic (now Kusmi), which sells organic teas and infusions. "Our companies were part of the same group, so we crossed paths regularly at events," said Khayat.

They exchanged recipes and recommendations, and it wasn't long before an idea took shape: to open a friendly bakery where everything would be homemade. "It was a time of bistronomy [the merging of traditional bistro methods and gastronomy] and star pastry chefs, but there was nothing going on in the bakery world," explained Khayat. Effantin added, "Everyone eats bread, but it's still just an accompaniment to the table that nobody pays much attention to."

Backed by a vocational diploma in pastry-making for one and in bakery for the other, the two gained experience in different establishments to compare methods and pick and choose techniques. In July 2017, they opened their first bakery on Rue Condorcet (9^th arrondissement), modestly labeled "Boulangerie de Quartier" ("Neighborhood Bakery").

You have 78.69% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.