When Isabelle Mahjoub and Ronan Le Guen moved to Calgary from France three years ago, the couple were looking for a new life experience. But even when you’re looking for something new, you can still miss a taste of home.
That’s how Marda Loop’s newest café and bakery, Choux & C, got its start. Mahjoub and Le Guen both missed the neighbourhood cafés from back home. They’re also both huge fans of choux à la crème (cream puffs), to the point that they had a tower of them at their wedding.
“It’s a dessert that is very popular back in France, you can find it at every gathering. There are lots of different flavours and there is always something for everyone,” says Mahjoub.
And so, choux à la crème became the star of Choux & C, which offers several flavours like pistachio or raspberry. There are also other pastries like croissants and cookies, as well as savoury items like gougere sandwiches and croque monsieur.
The café also has a bit of their new home, Calgary, instilled in it — before opening Choux & C, Mahjoub spent three years working with Monogram Coffee as a barista and later managing one of its locations. Mahjoub wanted to bring Canadian coffee culture and French pastries together.
“Here, the coffee industry is really strong. You see people everywhere — young, old — who have a cup of coffee to go,” says Mahjoub. “That’s not really something you see in France. People will just grab a cappuccino or espresso at a small table, drink it and leave quickly.”
Choux & C serves espresso-based drinks made with Monogram coffee, including specialty drinks like the Breizh latte, a salted caramel and buckwheat syrup drink named after the couple’s home of Brittany, France.
Choux & C achieves exactly what it’s going for with its lovely mix of neighbourhood coffee shop vibes and French patisserie.
121, 2215 33 Ave. S.W., choux-and-c.com
