Tucker Hermans
| Special to the Aberdeen News
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LaRue’s patisserie is Aberdeen’s one-stop shop for all French-inspired foods. Located on the ground level of the historic Ward Hotel on Main Street, the restaurant offers coffee, omelets and pastries for breakfast and lunch.
Jean-Christophe Niyonkuru, the owner, first opened the patisserie in March of 2024 and has been serving Aberdeen ever since. Niyonkuru said opening the patisserie had always been a personal dream of his.
When the owners of The Ward Hotel decided to revamp their building, he said a perfect position for the patisserie opened up.
“It kinda just made sense to have something that caters to (hotel patrons) in the morning, …” Niyonkuru said.
He also said the opportunity to open LaRue’s came when he was evaluating what kind of career he wanted.
“It made sense for me to just do my own thing, take a crack at owning a business and trying to shape and mold it into what I want it to be,” Niyonkuru said.
Born in Marseille, a town in the southern region of France, Niyonkuru moved around a lot, getting to experience a whole range of cultures before moving to the U.S. in 2003, where he finished school. Niyonkuru said he worked in the service industry all through school and learned a lot about the patisserie trade and French cooking on the job. He said he also learned a fair amount about wine, saying he wants to add a wine cellar to LaRue’s.
“That’s one of the goals I’m aiming at; it’s just a matter of capital,” Niyonkuru said.
He would also like to offer wine-tasting classes.
“I feel like there’s a little bit of a missing piece when it comes to wine offerings in the area,” Niyonkuru said. “I want to fill in those gaps and become almost like a specialty good store but for wine.”
Niyonkuru’s ultimate dream is to bring in champagne from small champagne houses in France and provide tasting experiences at an affordable price.
As far as the bakery side of La Rue’s goes, tradition is at the forefront.
“I’m partial to the caramel and cinnamon rolls because we start with a brioche dough that we give a 12-hour fermentation,” said Niyonkuru.
This long process helps develop the aromas and flavors of the bread, he said.
Niyonkuru’s bestselling pastry is the pain au chocolat, or chocolate croissant. Niyonkuru says that croissants are made out of a traditional laminated dough that is made by mixing a block of butter into the dough by stretching and folding it around itself to create the flaky layers.
LaRue’s also offers a gluten-free section in its patisserie as well as catering services. It is running a 20% off sale on all baked goods for the rest of January and all of February.
LaRue’s hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Its address is 104 S. Main St., Suite 112.