Specialty king cakes, weekend waffles and more at Strands

Four years ago this spring, Strands Café opened on Laurel Street downtown and since then has built a loyal and enthusiastic following for its fresh, homemade croissants, scones, cinnamon rolls and seasonal king cakes, now in full swing. Available until Fat Tuesday are the patisserie’s king cake rings, served plain or with one of three signature fillings: lemon cheesecake, white chocolate raspberry or praline turtle. Strands is also one of a handful of regional purveyors who make galette des rois, traditional French king cake made from puff pastry. At Strands, the galette des rois is filled with either apricot or chocolate marzipan.

Since opening in 2009, the shop has added longer hours, lunch options and a catering and reservation-only tea business. It also serves breakfast Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon, now including Liege waffles, Swiss muesli and frittatas. Strands was launched by pastry chefs and cousins Lilita Blanchard and Linelle Mon, and Lilita’s parents Bruce and Lilia Blanchard, who bought and renovated the Laurel Street storefront and committed to serving homemade and preservative-free pastries and baked goods. It’s been a tough, but worthwhile journey, says Lilita. “Looking back, it’s been such hard work. I mean, it would have been so much easier to add preservatives, but we wanted to stay true to our mission,” she says. “Our goal has been to connect with our customers and be a part of their lives, and we feel like that really has happened.”—Maggie Heyn Richardson