MSU students craving something to eat beyond dining hall food can now visit a new authentic French bakery located inside the historic Baxter Hotel.
Aurore French Bakery operates in Four Corners and recently opened a second location in downtown Bozeman last Tuesday, Sept. 23. The new location, Café Aurore, sells French pastries and coffee from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Aurore Adam is the CEO and founder of the business, which was born out of her longing for the traditional pastries of her home. In 2020, during a visit to the U.S. to see her sister, COVID-19 travel restrictions prevented Adam from returning to Paris for three months.
“I was craving — for the first time in my life — baked goods, and I could not find a place where I could just stop by in the morning, take a sandwich and leave for the day. And that was frustrating,” she said. “I realized that — as a French person — I need a bakery.”
“So, I was just like, ‘I think I’m going to come back and open a bakery,’” she said. “That was the start of it.”
Even when pandemic travel restrictions ended, Adam chose to stay in Bozeman and continue with the bakery. “I chose Bozeman because my sister is here, but also because the community is very helpful. The other business owners are super welcoming and super nice,” she said.
According to Adam, French tradition is to name a bakery after the owner’s last name. However, she decided to use her first name because it sounded more distinctly French. “In French, [Aurore] means sunrise,” she said.
Adam said both of her locations strive to include French ingredients. “We bake exclusively with French flour. That is very important to me,” she said. “The butter is from France too.” According to her, having ingredients from France brings true authenticity and tradition to the feel and taste of her pastries.
Both the café and the bakery have many items on their menu and create different specials each month. She said last year, the bakery made a Dubai chocolate croissant for their special. “It was such a pain to make,” she said. “It was such a big hit that we did it for two months in a row.”
Owning a bakery and cafe goes beyond the pastries. For Adam it is also about creating a positive environment for workers and customers. “My goal now as an owner is making sure everybody’s happy, and that’s the hardest part,” she said. She also said that making compromises, thinking ahead and being organized are crucial to running a successful business. “It’s learning every day,” she said.
Adam said that a good bakery can be judged by one simple item: the butter croissant. “I judge bakeries with the butter croissant, because it’s the basic,” she said. “If the butter croissant is not good, nothing else can be good.”
One popular item sold in Adam’s bakeries is the ‘croinamon,’ which is their version of the croissant cinnamon roll. It was originally supposed to be a special for one month but people didn’t want it to be removed from the menu. “We perfected the recipe, and people love it,” she said.
While living in France, Adam trained in various bakeries to acquire skills and gain valuable experience. “You can pick the stuff that you like and leave the stuff that you don’t like,” she said. “When you are creating a business, I think it’s very important to have different experiences, and bring with you what you like the most and what you think is the most efficient.”
Adam said that starting her business was not an easy endeavor. “When you create something and people talk about it and you see the line out of the door at the bakery — Now you’re very proud, because you’re like, ‘Oh, I created that,’” she said.
Adam said that her training and business experience have shaped her outlook on life, goals and starting a business. “Work for something that you care about and master your craft,” she said. “You need to be good at stuff that you like and you will be excellent in. If you can make it a career, it’s good; don’t look just for a job. That’s boring, nobody wants that.”
For more information on Aurore French Bakery and Café Aurore, visit https://www.aurorebakery.com/.
Dining and Cooking