Francois Poupart, the French pastry chef who came to Louisiana in 1965 and opened a bakery that became an Acadiana treasure, has died.
Poupart opened Poupart Bakery with his wife, Louise, who died in 2006. No information about services has been posted yet, but we'll update this story when it is.
Here's a tribute from a local pastry chef:
Here's the Poupart story from the bakery's website:
Mr. Francois Poupart came to Louisiana in 1965 to work as a pastry chef after working in Paris, bringing his wife, Louise, with him. He soon discovered that his strong French accent was not a barrier in Cajun country, and was in fact appreciated and complimented. Francois and Louise quickly grew to love Acadiana and decided to settle here and raise a family. Today, Mr. Francois Poupart continues to work each day alongside his son, Patrick Poupart, and an incredible team of dedicated pastry chefs and staff members.
A visit to Poupart's will undoubtedly make you a lifelong patron. Whether you crave fresh breads, French pastries, hot corn and crab bisque or rum cake - there is something to satisfy even the pickiest gourmand!
And don’t be afraid to flex your French-speaking tongue here: the staff and regular customers are delighted when someone new comes in with the greeting, “Bonjour.” After all, good French pastries taste that much better when accompanied by a little French speaking.
Here's a video about Poupart and his bakery, which aired on PBS several years ago: https://www.pbs.org/video/le-boulanger-ykqa6b/
To see our story about the bakery from this past Mardi Gras season, click here.
