Notable Edibles: Maison Villatte Boulangerie Patisserie
On a late morning in April, Maison Villatte Boulangerie Patisserie on Main Street in Falmouth was buzzing with customers flying through the doors to get their orders. People marveled at the display, showcasing rows of quiches, sandwiches, baguettes, croissants (plain, chocolate, almond, and fruit), colorful tarts and eclairs, and hand-sized to party-sized cakes. Behind the counter, workers stacked the bread beautifully.
“I love what I do,” said Boris Villatte, 45, who has owned the French bakery for 12 years and was, at the time of this interview, gearing up to expand to a second location in Woods Hole in the former Jimmy’s Classic Eats on Luscombe Avenue, across from the ferry. “It’s a good challenge,” said Villatte. “We’re getting busier, and I need something to grow.” Plus, Villatte added, “I have a great team. If I want them to grow, I must also grow.” Off-season, Villatte has about 20 employees. In-season, when the local population more than doubles, he has about 45-50.
Behind the scenes at his current bakery, workers were busy preparing focaccia for the steam oven. The air wafting from the back of the store smells of yeast and flour. Since the pandemic, the bakery removed the front tables and chairs where people could stay and enjoy pastries. However, the added space is needed to accommodate the quickly growing line of people vying to see what is on display. Villatte said he doesn’t plan to expand too much. “I don’t want to mass-produce.” The current size allows Villatte to try out new breads and pastries and monitor each piece that goes out the door.
Villatte’s passion for baking took root in Loir-et-Cher, France, a small village of just over 1000 people. In 1996, as he was finishing school and wondering what to do next, his older brother, a chef turned baker himself, suggested he try baking. The son of textile parents never considered it a career choice, but he tried it and stuck with it.
Villatte attended baking school in Tours, France and started his apprenticeship for baker Antonio Carvalho in Billy, France. Two years later, Carvalho told him to move on to a bigger bakery to expand his knowledge.
In 1998, he moved to Blois, France, to work for baker Jackie Otto Brucas. He spent two years with the bakery, one learning pastries and the other learning specialty bread. His Master bread teacher Gerald Biremont, author of several bread books and M.O.F. (best craftsman of France), suggested working for Eric Kayser, a world-renowned baker in Paris.
He then went off to Paris.
He worked for Kayser for five years, starting as a baker and working his way up to corporate baker, opening bakeries worldwide. Villatte left in 2005 to start a new venture, opening and developing the baking program for Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas. “I was ready to move on,” said Villatte. “Since I was a kid, I have wanted to go to America, the land of opportunity.”
He learned of the Cape when his wife’s parents retired here. After four years working at the Wynn Resort, he started looking for a place to open his own bakery. He began by helping to create and develop the PB Boulangerie Bistro in Wellfleet. He left to open his bakery, Maison Villatte Boulangerie Patisserie in Falmouth. “I didn’t want to go back to the city,” said Villatte when asked why he chose Falmouth as his final destination.
However, being a baker is no easy task. Villatte begins the workday at 2 am, working on orders and preparing the bread for the day. Preparation for the pastries begins a little later, at 3 to 4 am. For bread production, the bakers make the dough one day and then bake it the next to allow it to proof overnight. In the summer, he can produce about 1500 croissants a day. Almond and chocolate croissants are fan favorites. “[The community is] very supportive since we’ve opened the doors,” said Villatte, looking back at his time here. “It’s been great. Very welcoming.”
Maison Villatte Boulangerie Patisserie
267 Main Street, Falmouth
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