Mount Pleasant’s French Made Baking pastry shop and café will close its doors for good on August 31

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      A well-loved French pastry shop and café in the heart of Mount Pleasant that specializes in making macarons and croissants will soon be a distant memory.

      French Made Baking (81 Kingsway) will be closing its doors on August 31—those who haven’t had a chance to try its delicious baked goods have a few more days to visit its storefront.

      The bakery is known for its mouthwatering and gluten-free macaron flavours (lavender and honey, roasted pistachio, salted caramel, matcha and vanilla), macaron towers, double-baked almond croissants, cakes, and crepes, among others.

      Co-owners David and Catherine Introligator posted a farewell note on their website, announcing the imminent closure of their small business, which opened in 2011.

      “We truly thank each and every one of you who made this adventure possible and enjoyable, our customers and staff and the wonderful Mount Pleasant neighbourhood,” the statement read.

      The husband-and-wife duo emphasized that it was difficult to run a small business in Vancouver, and expanding their bakery would result in straying from their values of keeping a connection with customers and staff members.

      “We have learnt and grown so much on a personal and professional level. We are grateful for every minute of it. We enjoyed being a part of your family events through our pastries, to see your kids grow and feel part of the community.”

      The co-owners mentioned that an opportunity came up for them, and they decided it was time to take a break from baking and running a pastry business.  

      The café will officially close at the end of August, but the neighbourhood business will continue to sell its goodies at various farmers markets throughout September.

      Below is the full statement posted on French Made Baking’s website:

      “We are sad to announce that French Made Baking will be closing its doors on August 31.

      We truly thank each and every one of you who made this adventure possible and enjoyable, our customers and staff and the wonderful Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.

      We started French Made from a desire to bake the best French pastries and share our passion for food. What we love above all is meeting our customers, getting to know you and being in the front line in the kitchen and at the counter.

      As the business grew, we were faced with a tough decision. Either staying a small family business and doing our best to keep up with growing demand for quality baking, or moving on to the next stage and expand the business.

      Unfortunately, remaining small takes a toll on our family and personal lives. Vancouver is a tough place for small businesses. However, developing the business in the other direction made us feel like we were losing that connection with our customers and staff. It wasn’t aligned with what we hold dear.

      An opportunity came up and we decided to let French Made as you’ve known it take a break. Both the café and our Atelier kitchen on Kent Avenue will close their doors in the next few weeks. We are planning to take some time to work on personal projects that were left aside for the past 6 years and think about the future of French Made.

      We have learnt and grown so much on a personal and professional level. We are grateful for every minute of it. We enjoyed being a part of your family events through our pastries, to see your kids grow and feel part of the community.

      The café will close its doors on August 31 but you will find us at various farmers’ markets in September. We will still accept some orders for pick up from our Kent Avenue Atelier in September.

      Please contact us by email with a few days’ notice: info@frenchmadebaking.com. We have also added a few more classes in September.

      Please keep following us on social media and check our website to see what we’re up to in the future!

      David & Catherine, Co-owners”

      Follow Tammy Kwan on Twitter @ch0c0tam and Instagram @ch0c0tam.

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