Handcrafted Happiness...

... is the motto (more specifically: 'Handcrafted Happiness Made Every Day') of a fairly new French bakery and patisserie within walking distance in my neighborhood. It's distinguished by being the only bakery in the Washington metro area that is both store-front (3 retail stores) and wholesale (to about 95 high-end restaurants and hotels). They make everything they sell fresh on a daily basis. And let me tell you: it's the real thing!

When in the store, you can just get a peek at the production area behind and I was always intrigued.  So I approached the owner (a French guy) to ask if he'd allow me to come in and photograph the process of making these wonderful breads and pastries. We had a good conversation about it and thus, I found myself there at 5:30am (egad!!!) to spend six hours watching, learning and photographing the process of making the doughs, shaping the breads and viennoiseries, with a team that is well organized, friendly and in tune with one another.  The extras show the team at work.

Everyone on the team is either French (the head bakers and pastry chefs) or francophone: it was like being back home again! I may go back again to catch the pastry team doing its thing (they start a bit later in the day: yeah!).

That was a fun project and I've just sent my pix off to them. I'm curious to see what they'll think :)