A Paris-born baker who moved to Kentucky for love is about to give Nicholasville a real taste of her hometown. Deborah Lomama is opening Sweet Elikya, a French bakery planned for the Brannon Crossing shopping center at 802 E. Brannon Road, with croissants, baguettes, viennoiseries and pastries made the way she grew up eating them.
Lomama was born and raised in Paris, where she lived for 28 years, according to jessaminejournal.com. She moved to Kentucky because her husband was already living in the state, and as the outlet put it, love brought her from Paris to the Bluegrass. As reported by LEX 18 News, she moved to Kentucky in 2019 after marrying her husband.
The idea for the bakery traces back to her first pregnancy, when she craved the pastries of home. Per LEX 18 News, Lomama learned to bake a classic French treat while pregnant, wanting the croissants she remembered from Paris rather than what was available locally. She has said American croissants were good, but she wanted the ones from Paris, where, she told the station, croissants are available on every corner.
From a Food Truck Idea to a Brannon Crossing Storefront
That craving eventually turned into a business plan. Lomama originally envisioned a French bakery food truck before deciding to pursue a full storefront, the same jessaminejournal.com report notes. She has said construction and other preparations for the Brannon Crossing space have taken more than a year, and LEX 18 News reports the bakery will sit on East Brannon Road across from the fire station.
To get the pastries right, Lomama went back to her training ground. She traveled to France to learn from a renowned pastry chef, returning to take several professional training courses with French bakers and pastry chefs, per the Jessamine Journal account, and brought those skills home to Nicholasville. Sweet Elikya will use French butter imported directly from France, the outlet reports, a detail meant to anchor the bakery’s claim to authenticity.
A Name Rooted in a Family Health Scare
The bakery’s name carries its own story. Sweet Elikya is named after Lomama’s daughter, whose name means hope in Lingala, according to the Jessamine Journal. LEX 18 News reports that Lomama’s daughter had heart surgery as a baby, after a doctor said she needed the procedure at about three months old. The girl is okay now, per the station’s report, and her name has become the bakery’s banner.
Lomama has said she wants guests to feel as if they’ve stepped into France, telling LEX 18 News she wants people to experience Paris without buying a plane ticket. The menu plans include coffee and French hot chocolate alongside the pastries, though the bakery will not operate as a coffee shop. As reported by amp.kentucky.com, she plans to have an option for coffee as well, but it won’t be a coffee shop.
Opening Timeline Still Taking Shape
Reports on timing have varied slightly as opening day nears. The Jessamine Journal’s October report described plans to open the French bakery in Nicholasville in November, while the kentucky.com account from later that month described a soft opening planned for November followed by a grand opening in December. Sweet Elikya’s team is preparing its space ahead of that opening, with the finishing touches on the Brannon Crossing storefront still underway.
Fans eager for updates can find the bakery’s Instagram account, @sweetelikya, where photos and videos have been trickling out ahead of the launch. For now, Nicholasville waits on croissants, baguettes and a slice of Paris named for hope.
Dining and Cooking