ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A renowned chef – who has amassed a large and loyal fan base by serving up her artisanal tarts, croissants, macarons and other French treats at local farmers markets – is planning to open her first brick-and-mortar bakery in Lehigh County later this week.
Sophie Vandecasteele, a French pastry chef and passionate cook, will open her new Sophistiqué – French Bakery at 7 a.m. Friday at 924 W. Walnut St. in downtown Allentown.
Sophistiqué – French Bakery
Sophistiqué will focus on typical French baked goods such as fresh baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat, and brioches, along with French pastries like tarts, eclairs, mousse cakes and millefeuilles.
Everything will be “homemade and prepared from scratch with quality ingredients,” Vandecasteele said.
“I will also have savory baked goods such as ham or turkey and cheese croissants, savory danishes, sandwiches with fresh baguettes and my quiches that people keep asking me to bring back!” Vandecasteele added. “My goal is really to bring something different to the Valley.”
Vandecasteele, who was born and raised in France and moved to the United States about eight years ago, held pop-up events in 2022 at Jay’s Local – a neighborhood eatery in Allentown’s West End – where she sold pre-packaged items such as shortbread cookies, hazelnut cakes and quiches such as red pepper and feta, bacon and cheese and salmon and cheese.
In early 2023, she began making her food fresh on-site at Jay’s Local with a once-a-week, pop-up bistro, Sophistiqué.
Sophistiqué – French Bakery
The pop-up series proved so successful that Vandecasteele and Jay’s Local owner Lyell Scherline decided to strengthen their partnership even further by expanding Sophistique’s hours to include multiple days a week for a majority of 2023.
In recent years, she’s also garnered followers by selling her treats at local farmers markets, including the Macungie and Trexlertown farmers markets earlier this year.
“A lot of people have followed me from Jay’s Local to the farmers markets, and I hope they continue to follow me to my new bakery,” Vandecasteele said. “I am so excited to open my own bakery. This is a dream of mine, and I am so thankful for everyone’s support.”
Vandecasteele is a mostly self-taught chef, who also received her pastry arts degree in France.
Sophistiqué – French Bakery
At Sophistiqué – French Bakery, she plans to specialize in French pastries and other sweet treats, including fruit tarts, danishes, mousse cakes and madeleines.
Handmade macarons will be available in classic flavors like chocolate and caramel, as well as seasonal flavors like raspberry and mango in the summer and pumpkin, apple cinnamon and pecan praline buttercream in the fall.
There also will be festive varieties such as chocolate peppermint and gingerbread and vanilla around the holidays.
“I’m really looking to showcase French desserts in unique ways and flavors that people may not be familiar with,” Vandecasteele said.
Sophistiqué – French Bakery will occupy a renovated space that previously housed a tattoo shop, across from the Maple Street Garage.
The bakery will feature new flooring, counters, kitchen equipment and other upgrades.
Sophistiqué – French Bakery
Hours are still being finalized, but the bakery will likely operate Wednesday to Sunday during its soft-opening period over the next few weeks, with most days operating from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Vandecasteele said.
“I’m going to see what the crowds are like,” Vandecasteele said. “We’ll probably adjust our hours in the first few weeks.”