A small corner of Paris has made its way to Hanover. Chez Francoise, the town's new French bakery, opened last week next to J.B. Jammin' at 44-48 Main Street. Specializing in French cuisine, the bakery offers a range of pastries, pates, and breads rarely found outside Paris.
Francoise Duffy, executive vice president of the bakery, is in charge of its day-to-day operation. A Frenchwoman, Duffy said the bakery is the culmination of her "lifetime interest in French cooking."
Although open less than two weeks, Chez Francoise seems to have already attracted a loyal following. Duffy attributes this success to the bakery's fulfillment of a need in Hanover.
"What we can offer is what is missing in town," Duffy said. Since the closing of Cafe la Fraise there has been no good French food for "the educated, cosmopolitan people of Hanover," she said.
Duffy takes a great deal of pride in the quality of ingredients used by the bakery and the care that goes into its merchandise.
"Everything is made on the premises," she said. "The taste is different. We use no preservatives, which goes very well with the attitude of good health of people here."
Duffy said the bakery offers a variety of both sweet and savory petit-fours, in addition to cakes and pastries. Other foodstuffs, such as freshly made pates and imported French ham, are also available. French baguettes are baked twice a day.
Salads are inspired by Provencale summer cuisine. Most of the desserts are centered around berries and other summer fruits. Duffy said the fare will change seasonally.
Duffy plans to increase the range of products sold at the bakery in the near future. Chez Francoise's sidewalk Breton creperie will open July 17, the day of the Hanover Streetfest.
By fall, Duffy hopes to be offering a line of handmade chocolates, a line of "heart friendly" products made with a butter substitute, and a line of pre-prepared, gourmet meals.
Duffy brings diverse experience to her latest endeavor. A Fullbright scholar at the University of Chicago, she earned her Ph.D. in biophysics at the University of Paris, Orsay, and holds an MBA.
She was a professor of Pharmacology at the University of Montreal and a visiting professor of psychiatry at Harvard University.
While in Montreal, Duffy and a professional chef shared a television show on which they combined their expertise to develop healthy diet ideas.
Duffy took advanced courses at the fcole de Gastronomie Francaise and the Cordon Bleu School in Paris last winter to hone her cooking skills.
Chez Francoise is open from 7:30-7:00 Monday through Saturday, and 8:00-3:00 on Sundays.
