The Art of Sugar: La Brioche Opens
Delicious flavors from around the world are just as close as Fondren Corner.
La Brioche Patisserie, a French style bakery, has officially opened their doors, serving South American and northern European influenced pastries and house-made gelato and sorbet.
Sisters Cristina Lazarri and Alejandra Sprouts are the proprietors who have realized a dream long in the making.
“We were coming up with ideas when I was still in school,” Sprouts says of the last three years of planning. “It was always with focus, opening our own shop one day. It’s grown faster than we expected.”
In their infancy, La Brioche found an outlet to sell at the Mississippi Farmers Market and to wholesale accounts like Whole Foods and Sneaky Beans. Now, a bright, modern, window-filled space is theirs across from Basil’s at 2906 North State Street.
“We wanted to bring our experiences from traveling into the shop,” Lazzari explains of the menu and decor. “By being here, we hope to transport you to Buenos Aires or Rome with our food, the music and photos from our travels. Our goal is to show Jacksonians there is a big world out there.”
Indeed the comments are already resoundingly the same. The sisters say customers are mentioning New York City and Europe when asked what La Brioche feels like.
Retail neighbor and friend, Ron Chane, who championed to secure the space for La Brioche, says the bakery is a game changer. “Fondren just took it to a new level,” Chane exclaims. “It’s like SoHo just landed here!”
Planter boxes hang from the railing outside, perfect for al fresco dining when the weather cools. Lazarri says it’s ideal for one of their biggest focus areas.
“We want to push breakfast here,” she explains. But Sprouts, who is the primary baker, says it’s not your traditional “bacon and eggs” breakfast. “We do everything with a twist,” she laughs. Try croissants – almond, cream, chocolate – and, later, savory ones like ham and cheese, and quiches and bagels, all baked daily.
Future plans include cooking classes in their basement level commercial kitchen and the creation of chocolate candies. Sprouts is currently working on a chocolate sculpture for their display window.
In a neighborhood known as Jackson’s arts district, Lazarri feels they fit right in. “We want to show that pastry can be – that it is art. It’s art through sugar.”
La Brioche is currently open Monday – Friday, 8am – 4pm and Saturday, 8am-4pm.Â
The menu also includes:
Macarons, petit fours, tortes, alfajores, religieuse, cheesecakes, lemon meringue and chocolate hazelnut tarts, opera cakes and an assortment of European pastries with names like Angelica, Natalie and Celeste.
Also on the menu is candied nuts, marshmallows and locally made Gil’s breads.
La Brioche offers coffee — espresso, macchiatos, cappucinos, lattes, drip coffee, cafe au laits, along with hot tea and hot chocolate and gelato and sorbet — by the cup, cone or as a Brioche-wich, an ice cream sandwich.