Sure, we all acquired a fascination with bread baking during the pandemic, but no one has a success story quite like Gautier and Ashley Coiffard.
The pair run L’appartement 4F, a successful bakery that started out of their Cobble Hill apartment (hence how they landed upon their name), and reached insta-fame after posting their adorable petite croissant cereal.
L’appartement 4F opened its first brick-and-mortar location last spring on Saturday, May 14 in Brooklyn Heights. Ashley shared the big news on their Kickstarter saying, “L’Appartement 4F is leaving l’appartement!”
Their happy-ever-after story began back in 2016 when the pair met, just a few years after Gautier had moved to NYC from France. At that point, Gautier was only missing one thing in his life—quality bread. So he put his engineering degree to work and fine-tuned a fault-proof bread recipe that ultimately sparked the couple’s current endeavors.
And though Gautier began baking years prior, the “two person cottage bakery” officially opened for business in February of 2020.
L’appartement 4F soon faced complications, along with the rest of the world, once the pandemic hit. However, they eventually continued to bake through quarantine from their small Brooklyn apartment, selling everything from sourdough bread to salted tahini chocolate chip cookies.
As their beautifully curated Instagram began to garner more attention, it was their mini croissant cereal that had the internet in a frenzy! Made from dough that’s rolled into the tiniest little croissants you’ve ever seen, the cereal is then baked, dehydrated, and coated in cinnamon sugar for the cutest breakfast treat you never knew you needed.
The grand opening of their brick-and-mortar store resulted in a line down the street (that has not lessened in almost a year) as tons of New Yorkers come each morning to pick up a delicious pastry.
If you often end up arriving after your favorite items have been sold out (ours is their Le Framboise Croissant), fear not because we’ve recently confirmed with the bakery that they’re planning on transitioning into a French Bistro during nights—so you’ll soon have another opportunity to get your hands on their heavenly offerings.
Though no menu is currently set, they have an upcoming tasting with a classically trained French chef, who is also a dear friend. The bistro name is still pending, in addition to their selection of wines that they’ll offer. However, they’ve already hired a sommelier from Bar Bête.
Stay tuned as more information is to come in regards to the bistro.
For now, you can follow their journey on Instagram and head to L’appartement 4F’s website to peruse the menu.
Where: 115 Montague St, Brooklyn
When: Opens at 8am daily