A Taste of France
Surely many have gone through a baking phase, especially during the COVID pandemic starting in March of 2020. I remember going to my local Trader Joe’s, and all of the flour being gone. All that was left was a single bag of gluten-free flour. Banana bread, sourdough art, and floral focaccia were all in trend at some point during the pandemic. Both students and adults worked from home, trying to find ways to fill the social gaps in their lives.
One baker and his wife took this playful pastime even further. Gautier Coiffard, a software engineer, took the extra time he gained working from home to recreate something that he dearly missed since moving to the States from France in 2012. He began to craft traditional French bread and croissants after losing patience for overpriced baked goods that did not nearly live up to what he knew as “real French food.” His wife, Ashley, was immediately taken back to France with just a small taste. She says, “from the very first bite, my goal was to share it with everyone. [The sales] happened so organically.” The objective was just to share Gautier’s talent in the kitchen, and the business aspect of it just followed.
After bringing some of Gautier’s delicacies to her office, Ashley began working on creating a Facebook page for an “e-boulangerie.” On March 14, 2020, the couple began selling Gautier’s baguettes and croissants online. The business then was added to Instagram, and a beautifully curated account was created. Over the last year, the bakery has made over 2,000 sales and even was forced to turn down sales due to overwhelming demand to sample Gautier’s baking.
In Teensy’s interview with co-founder of 4F, Gautier stated that, “he only does the baking; Ashley does the marketing and practically everything else.” Images on Instagram and short videos on Tiktok are shared to spread news about the small business and do so very successfully. The Instagram has accumulated over sixteen thousand followers, and their Tiktok has passed thirty five thousand and nearly one million total likes. Another way that social media was used to promote the business was through influencers marketing. Ashley first reached out to Instagram star Claire Rose, who she has said, “really inspires me...she was so supportive and shared [our work] with her friends and followers. We can’t thank her enough.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses were forced to close, including those on Montague Street of Brooklyn Heights, where one fifth of retail spots stand empty as of December 2020. To revive the neighborhood, the Brooklyn Heights Association, itself, contacted L’Appartement 4F to offer 115 Montague as a permanent home for the bakery. After many months of online sales and baguette deliveries, a brick-and-mortar bakery was in the making. In order to make this attainable, a kickstarter, where donations were rewarded with t-shirts and croissant cereal, was created.
The couple now is in possession of a restaurant space on Montague Street, formerly occupied by Connecticut Muffin and Emack & Bolio’s. Expected to open its doors to the public this Febuary, L’Appartement 4F is guaranteed to be a massive success. Along with fresh baguettes, batard loaves, and croissants, the owners are hoping to acquire a liquor license. A quaint French boulangerie by day, and at night, a warm space for neighbors to enjoy a glass of wine, crusty bread, and some creamy brie.
A spot like this has been long awaited in Brooklyn Heights. With the many new residents, more spaces for them must be open, and just any place will never make do in the neighborhood of long-time Brooklynites and New Yorkers with strict taste. However, in my opinion as someone who has lived in Brooklyn Heights for their entire life, L’Appartement 4F is the perfect place to fill in the gap that has existed in the neighborhood.
