Like anyone, I have ups and downs. Some days are sheer torture while others put an ear-to-ear smile on my face. I’m glad to say, today is one of the latter, and it’s not over yet! This morning I drove out to Gert Town to visit a most talented baker, the one and only Jeff Becnel — a.k.a. “The Laminator” — who gifted me a box of baked goodies to try.
“Of course!” I say, because why would I say no? But why is he in Gert Town? As it turns out, for a little over a month, Jeff Becnel, the baker/owner of the now defunct La Petite Sophie Patisserie, is the master baker (I had to say it!) for French Truck Coffee! Yep, you can now go to any of French Truck’s locations and score those magically delicious pastries Chef Jeff does oh-so well.
Naturally, since this is a larger operation than his former digs on Jefferson Highway, Jeff has had to alter his recipes for larger production numbers. For example, his buttery, caramelized kouign-amann – the incredible pastries that had everyone running to Harahan each morning to score one or two before they sold out – are being made from croissant dough which has milk and butter (kouign-amann dough is just yeast, water, flour and salt). While this alters the texture and appearance of the kouign-amann, Jeff is still creating an amazing pastry that I was only too happy to gobble as soon as I got home.
The really good news is that now, if you’re missing those incredible baked beauties from La Petite Sophie Patisserie, all you have to do is go to the nearest French Truck, whether you’re Uptown or in the French Quarter. In addition to kouign-amann, French Truck also offers Jeff’s croissants — including ham and cheese, pain au chocolat, and almond — and warm, chewy bagels with honey cream cheese, and green onion and caper spreads.
Get out to French Truck, grab a cold brew and a few pastries and perhaps you’ll be smiling, too.
