La Boulangerie & Co, a traditional French bakery and cafe chain in Chicago, is coming to the Hyde Park Shopping Center this summer.
Vincent Colombet, the 16-year owner of La Boulangerie, said he has long wanted to open a location in Hyde Park, but officially began talks with the University of Chicago, which owns the location at 1550 E. 55th St., about a year aug. It’s replacing a longtime boulangerie, Bonjour Bakery, which closed in 2022 after 27 years in the neighborhood.
Colombet is not new to the neighborhood. He ran a food truck from 2014 to 2019 that he would set up on the U. of C.’s campus. He stopped the operation when the Covid-19 pandemic began and never resumed.
Hailing from Orléans, a city in central France, Colombet first began serving goods at the Logan Square Farmers Market in 2008. His stand was an immediate success, so he opened La Boulangerie’s first brick and mortar location in that neighborhood in 2010. The business has since expanded to a second location in Lincoln Square in 2016, and a third in Humboldt Park in 2022. Colombet also runs Cook Au Vin, a kitchen that provides catering and cooking classes, in Bucktown.
The business also partners with other restaurants, grocery stores and hotels, Colombet said, noting that the recent closure of Foxtrot, one of its business partners, left them with “a very hefty bill.”
Colombet said he’s been in touch with Driss Bekkouche, the longtime owner of Bonjour, to get the feel for what neighbors would want and expect from his bakery. Chiefly, he said, it’s “good bread.”
With the closure of La Petite Folie in late 2022 along with Bonjour, La Boulangerie will be Hyde Park’s lone French eatery.
The Hyde Park location, Colombet said, will “not only have everything, but we’re going to have more things.” The store’s other locations are known for selling different types of bread, breakfast items, French pastries such as macarons, croissants and tarts, and imported goods.
The Hyde Park location will be the first in the chain to serve beignets, a deep-fried pastry that Colombet described as “something big for us.” He estimated that about 90% of goods at the Hyde Park location will be made on-site.
“Everything’s homemade, everything’s fresh, we don’t use strange ingredients, it’s very healthy,” Colombet said.
Much of the furniture and equipment will be imported from France, he said, in addition to a special French flour he trained with.
Colombet said he is hopeful to hold a grand opening in July, ideally before Bastille Day on July 14, the French independence day. If not, he’d like to open sometime before the school year begins.
“We just need the contractors to do the job, and then get the inspection from the city, paint, decorate,” Colombet said.
He plans to hire about 10 staff this summer and will be advertising locally for all positions, including manager, baker, cashier and barista.
The business will be open during the hours of breakfast, lunch and early dinner, he said, and will offer indoor and outdoor seating, takeout, delivery through third-party apps and catering for large-scale events.
Colombet is also planning to participate in the Hyde Park Farmers Market, which begins its season in June.
