“This space has always been one of my favorites on Chapel Street,” said Kimberly Pedrick, co-owner of the new Union League Pâtisserie, located at 1042 Chapel Street, directly across the alley from the venerable French restaurant, Union League, in downtown New Haven.
Pedrick said painting the petite storefront an eye-catching shade of French blue both inside and out was one of her first design initiatives to help convey her vision of the pâtisserie as the restaurant’s “sassy younger sister,” which opened in early October.
Pedrick, who owns two nearby boutiques — Idiom and Dwell — and is president of the Chapel Merchants Association, said her retail and merchandising experience complements the skills of her co-owner and partner, Alexander Clark. He brings systems development and hospitality insights from his background as the founder and CEO of customer relationship management (CRM) software Technolutions, she explained, and as the current owner of Union League and another New Haven restaurant institution, Zinc.
Clark said he and Pedrick share a deep love for New Haven, which they strive to honor by preserving its institutions, adding to its charm, and advocating for better walkability and livability for its residents, including themselves. “We care about this community and we want to see it vibrant. We want to see the streets full of people, experiencing everything this wonderful city has to offer.”
“I want people to walk in and smile,” added Pedrick, who said the process of designing a space that felt beautiful and welcoming was of the utmost importance to her. Inside, the French blue color highlights original architectural details near the ceiling, while new paneling on the walls extends the design, and arched mirrors behind the counter reflect the arched windows of Union League next door. White marble and gold accents are featured throughout the space, from the window emblem to the pastry tongs, while the pastry case takes up most of the shop’s limited real estate, displaying viennoiserie, tartes, pâtisserie and macarons “like jewels,” according to Pedrick.
Open Wednesdays through Sundays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., the pâtisserie receives its baked goods from next door, where Clark built a pastry kitchen and a pastry team in Union League’s upstairs. Both Union League and Union League Pâtisserie are overseen by Union League executive chef Olivier Durand, who has an extensive background in French pastries. Terrance Brennan, a chef and consultant who rose to fame with restaurants like Picholine, his now-closed two-Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City, helped design the opening menu and stock the shelves with fancy French confections. The pâtisserie’s menu is intentionally different from that of the restaurant’s dessert menu, he said, with the exception of Union League’s signature chocolate tarte featuring espresso crémeux and hazelnut crunch.
Initial customer response has been swift and positive, reported Clark, who said the shop sold over 1,500 items in its first week while the pâtisserie’s first Instagram post received more than 30,000 views in the same time frame. “People have been waiting for us,” Clark said with a grin. Among the first to sample the pastries was iconic French chef Jacques Pépin, who’s based in Madison. He tasted a fruit tarte during a Jacques Pépin Foundation meeting and described it as “incredible.” The shop also serves coffee to go with its cookies, croissants and other treats.
Pedrick and Clark agreed that a pâtisserie was something every great city deserves, and said adding one to The Shops at Yale in a space that sat vacant for several years is a way for them to both engage locals and delight visitors. Clark noted that one of his goals with the shop is to offer a high-quality experience at a price point many people can access, with prices ranging from $2.75 for items like an apricot financier or a passion fruit macaron to $8 for the signature chocolate tarte.
“New Haven is already a special place,” said Clark. “With Union League Pâtisserie, we hope to put an exclamation point on its specialness.”
Dining and Cooking