Over the Coo-Coo’s Nest

Think your mornings are exhausting? Imagine the alarm sounding at 2:45 a.m., followed by competition for the shower, an espresso (or three) and an inflexible commitment to arrive at the office no later than 4 a.m. Once at work, your job is to coax good behavior out of finicky pastry dough, tough even without Louisiana’s notorious heat and humidity bearing down. But you find a way, since by 7 a.m. customers impatient for pastries and coffee arrive. Such is the life of Baton Rouge’s new downtown baker.

The classic hard-working early-morning baker, the guy from fairy tales and big cities, is finally here in the Capital City, except “he” takes the form of two young female pastry chefs and their extended family. Baton Rouge native Linelle Mon, 29, and her cousin, Lilita Blanchard, 27, along with Lilita’s parents Bruce and Lilia Blanchard, opened Strands Café on Laurel Street in late December. The coffee house and patisserie serves the chefs’ original pastries and chocolates made fresh by hand.

226 Laurel Street

344-5346

Open Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Six years ago, Mon and Blanchard decided to combine their interests in hospitality and art by enrolling in Le Cordon Bleu’s patisserie program at the renowned culinary school’s Sydney, Australia, campus. They describe the compressed course as a tear-inducing boot camp designed to prepare students for upscale restaurant work. Mon and Blanchard graduated and returned to Lilia’s home in Hawaii, where they began looking for a place to open their dream business: a high-end coffee house replete with their own delicious creations.

“The combination of the art and science of baking, and the ability to serve the public, is what I really love,” says Mon.

The business partners cast about for locations, but rent in Hawaii was high, and there were too many restrictions concerning coffee shops. By then Bruce had retired from his career as a commercial pilot, so the four were game to go anywhere. Mon’s hometown of Baton Rouge was a dark-horse candidate, but they gave it a look. In the end, the city and its resurging downtown won out.

Strands would have opened sooner, but the post-Katrina construction frenzy stymied what the family had hoped would be swift renovation. The end result, however delayed, works well. The bakery is sleek and open, with exposed brick and high ceilings. There is good coffee—including solid River Road, a nutty Rwandan—and the pastry counter is filled with plump cinnamon rolls, towering cream-filled choux with blackberries, fruit-studded Pavlovas, Australian scones, shortbread, lemon tarts with crumbly almond crust, hand-crafted chocolates and all manner of croissants.

Croissant pastry, in particular, can make for an early morning wrestling match. It has to be babied, and unlike other pastry dough, it takes hours before you can be sure of the outcome. So far, so good, because the team’s croissant selections shine. They’re stuffed gently with chocolate, provolone and prosciutto or a four-cheese blend. One stand-out, their original Venetian Coo-Coo’s Nest, features a circle of croissant pastry baked with a country egg and strips of prosciutto. At the first forkful, the over-medium, electric-yellow egg yolk weeps into the flaky pastry, and the buttery richness is set off by the cured ham’s salty bite.

The well-received Coo-Coo’s Nest represents Strands’ ability to respond to its audience. The dish was introduced when the chefs suspected diners might want something protein-packed to start the day.

Because Mon and Blanchard prepare their goods in small batches without chemical preservatives or stabilizers, they bring out trays periodically throughout the morning. Staples like croissants, scones and cinnamon rolls usually lead off, following by meringues, tarts, cookies, and other desserts later. In its first few months, the team introduced a variety of changing menu items and observed the public’s response. Mon and Blanchard want a predictable lineup soon, but they have a hard time curbing spontaneity.

“We usually plan what we’re going to make the day before, but then we get these ideas at the last minute to do something wild,” says Blanchard.

See for yourself.