In a New Orleans cigar bar nestled at the corner of Tchoupitoulas Street, Séverine Cholet would sell homemade crepes while enveloped by billows of smoke and live jazz.
Nearly a decade later, her days of selling a quintessential French street food Uptown at Dos Jefes and other local establishments are over. Because what started as a pop-up in 2016 has now secured a permanent home that she runs with her business partner, Ronnie Lejeune.
In March of this year, Cholet — a native of Brittany, France, where crepes were invented — opened Crêpes Rendez-Vous Café on 1712 Lake Avenue in Bucktown, a village-turned-suburb along Lake Pontchartrain known for its seafood restaurant scene.
Crêpes Rendez-Vous Café is currently one of the few French establishments in Metairie’s waterfront neighborhood. It is also the latest pastry shop to debut in the New Orleans area, where a handful of creperies have opened within the last decade, including most recently Commander’s Place’s sibling Le Petit Bleu, proving that the city’s French influence remains unwavering.
But Cholet knew that she wanted to open a creperie long before it gained a foothold in New Orleans.
Crêpes Rendez-Vous Café, a crepe drive-thru, is now open in Bucktown.
Poet Wolfe
She worked for a company in Laillé, France, that sold homemade crepes during soccer games in her 20s. To hone her skills, Cholet enrolled in a three-month training program at the acclaimed Ecole des Maître Crepiers in Rennes, France, where she earned the title of “maître crepier,” or master crepe-maker.
Then, after monthslong solo trips to the United States, Cholet knew exactly where she wanted to launch her pop-up: in a city that embodies the spirit of Europe in its culture, architecture and cuisine.
“My choice landed on New Orleans,” she said, “Because I totally fell in love with the city, its festive ambiance, its people.”
Why crepe restaurant owner chose Bucktown
Though when deciding on a permanent location for Crêpes Rendez-Vous Café, she landed on Bucktown, in part because its waterfront views reminded her of her hometown.
“Because being from Brittany — on the ocean where we have a light house — it just felt like a sign,” Cholet said.
The exterior of the cafe does, in fact, resemble a lighthouse with its towering structure that overlooks a local seafood market across the street. Its architecture merges together coastal and southern designs, with louvered black shutters surrounding each window and a white picket fence next to a cluster of palm trees.
Aside from the flag of Brittany dangling from the balcony, the elements of France become apparent once you browse the cafe’s vast menu.
An inside look at the menu
The sweet crepes come with a choice of filling, ranging from Nutella and salted butter caramel to more natural flavors like honey and lemon. Some of the toppings include strawberries, bananas and homemade whipped cream.
The galettes, which are savory crepes made of buckwheat flour, can be filled with ingredients including ham, egg and brie cheese.
The cafe offers chicken and sausage gumbo made by Lejuene, who became passionate about cooking at 19 when he was a food runner for Commander’s Palace. It also serves breakfast croissants, banana and chocolate shakes, banana rum bread and coffees.
A crepe and galette folded and served in a sleeve at Crêpes Rendez-Vous Café.
Poet Wolfe
How a crepe drive-thru works
On Tuesday morning, Cholet — wearing a striped T-shirt — made a double shot of espresso paired with a butter and sugar crepe and a turkey and brie cheese galette. Both were shaped into triangles and tucked into paper cones, like folded letters in envelopes, when served within less than 5 minutes.
The drive-thru concept made sense for Cholet because of how quick it is to make a crepe, contrary to popular belief. Unlike many creperies in France, American shops tend to put the batter on a low-heated griddle for longer than necessary.
“The high heat helps it,” Lejeune noted. “It cooks almost instantly after.”
Dripping with an alchemy of sugar and butter, the crepe was subtly sweet with a lacy, pliable dough. Tiny holes covered the deep brown surface of the galette, which had crispy edges compared to the crepe.
Cholet and Lejeune plan on opening the building’s second floor for monthly meetings, where people can socialize and work over various breakfast items.
The business partners will eventually host a private dining event that will feature a 10-course tasting menu.
Starting April 27, they will serve crepes during matches played by NOLA Gold Rugby’s, a contact sport that was born in England and has slowly evolved into an internationally beloved game, especially among the French.