|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
When Atherton resident Debora Ferrand opened Mademoiselle Colette on Santa Cruz Avenue a decade ago, she hoped to bring a taste of Paris to Menlo Park. Ten years later, her dream has become a four-location patisserie known for its butter-rich croissants and classic French fare.
It was a near-instent hit. Its small Menlo Park location was sold out every day in its first month, sometimes before noon, The Almanac reported at the time. Less than a year after it opened, Ferrand leased a commercial kitchen to keep up with demand.
“Because the kitchen was so small, we (were) unable to have more products and make enough to last the whole day. After a few months, we saw people sometimes come from San Jose or San Francisco, and by the time they arrive here, we are sold out. So we started to look for a commercial kitchen,” Ferrand said. Pastries are delivered daily from the kitchen to its cafes.
Almost a year after opening, Mademoiselle Colette expanded to a second location in Palo Alto, which focused on pastries and drinks since it did not have a kitchen. Colette then added a full-service Redwood City location in October 2019.
Colette opened its newest location at the Atherton Library in November 2023 as the town celebrated its centennial. Colette also added sorbet and ice cream to its offerings.
While Ferrand said her biggest challenge has been hiring, Colette has also been affected by recent tariffs. Colette’s pastries only use imported French butter which has more fat than American butter.
Ferrand says Colette’s quality ingredients are one of the things that make the patisserie popular.
“I think all this quality and savoir faire (a French term roughly translated to “know-how”), people recognize, and people realize that we do things from scratch and with love,” she said. “My team arrives at 2 a.m. and they prepare the breads, they prepare the croissants. We bake everything. We bring everything (from the kitchen) fresh in the morning.”
While turnover is high in the restaurant industry, Mademoiselle Collete has some long-time employees. “I have my two longest employees and they’ve been with me for eight years. Without them, I cannot do it. And all my team is amazing,” Ferrand said.
One of those longtime employees is Barbara Sampaio, the manager of the Menlo Park location.
“I’m here because I love this store and I have a lot of love for the clients, and especially my team. If I don’t have support with my team, I cannot be successful,” Sampaio said.
Sampaio started eight years ago as a dishwasher at the Menlo Park location after arriving from Brazil. “I asked (Ferrand), if you have some job for me. But it was uniquely difficult, because when I arrived, I didn’t speak English or Spanish, just Portuguese from Brazil. I told her I’m hard working and she gave me a chance to work as a dishwasher,” Sampaio said. Sampaio and Ferrand also connected since Ferrand was born in Brazil but grew up in France.
“When I arrived at Colette, I got to know Deborah (Ferrand) and her sister Sabrina. They helped me a lot and everyone here gave me the strength to go up (in the company). I started to study English and Spanish,” she added.
After two years, Sampaio became a server and then a shift manager. She became manager of the Menlo Park location after the COVID-19 pandemic and has been in that role for five years.
“Everything is made with a lot of love. When you put it on display, you put a lot of love there. So I think (the store’s success) is a combination of the good product and the very appreciation for the client when they come into the store,” Sampaio said. “I love people. I love talking. My biggest challenge is making you smile. If you come into my store, I cannot let you leave before making you smile.”
Ferrand said Mademoiselle Colette will be focusing on increasing its catering business and expanding into some supermarkets.
“We now have the team for wedding cakes and catering,” she said.
The highlight of Colette’s 10 years? It’s moments with clients.
“We share a lot of special moments with clients: births, marriages, celebrations. We’ve done so many ‘gender reveal’ cakes and then cakes after the kids arrived and then the kids are starting to order products – it’s special,” Ferrand said.
Ferrand also said her family’s support was instrumental.
“The food business is long hours, weekends, it’s very intense. My family support was essential, and I wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” Ferrand said. “My family were very proud and very supportive. My son, I really feel that he’s proud to have a mama that is a business woman that, you know, built the business from scratch that has four locations today.”
