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When you walk into the new Mademoiselle Colette in Atherton, you are greeted with pastel greens, handmade wallpaper, white marble and golds, in this pocket-sized gem of a cafe.
The newest branch of the local staple for French pastries opened its doors on Sept. 24 in a 250-square-foot space in the town library at 85 Fair Oaks Lane. The opening coincided with the town’s 100th birthday celebration.
Owner Debora Ferrand said she’d hoped the cafe would open in fall of 2022, but had difficulty securing a contractor for the project and shipping delays presented additional roadblocks.
“Atherton is mostly residential, so people are happy to have something in the neighborhood,” said Ferrand, who is an Atherton resident. “It’s a place for the neighborhood to meet.”
Ferrand nabbed prolific French pastry chef Julien Arnaud, who previously had made desserts for 11 restaurants in France, according to a 2022 profile of him by the French daily newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré. He arrived in November and plans to launch a new line of pastries.
Weekly chef specials will begin in December, Ferrand said. Customers can expect winter desserts like the Mont Blanc chestnut and whipped cream cake and Bûche de Noël this year, she said.
The latest location has more of a grab-and-go style given its tiny venue. With many children visiting the library, Ferrand now has small treats for children: fruit, chocolate and jam and biscuit sandwiches. She plans to offer madeleines eventually as well.
Ferrand also operates Mademoiselle Colette cafes in Redwood City, Palo Alto and Menlo Park, along with a ghost kitchen in Mountain View.
Colette’s other new offerings
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SLIDESHOW: Handmade French candies for sale at Mademoiselle Colette in Atherton on Nov. 20, 2023. Photo by Angela Swartz. -
SLIDESHOW: Mademoiselle Colette’s lemon tart. Courtesy Debora Ferrand. -
SLIDESHOW: Mademoiselle Colette’s ham and cheese sandwich. Courtesy Debora Ferrand. -
SLIDESHOW: Mademoiselle Colette’s lemon cake. Courtesy Debora Ferrand.
In the summer of 2024 Ferrand plans to expand cafe hours to allow for happy hours.
She is applying for a liquor license and would like to host musical performances on the 2,000-square-foot deck and terrace that fronts the cafe space.
In 2023, Ferrand began offering handmade sorbets with novelty flavors like grapefruit and rose, lemon meringue, banana and passionfruit, and lychee and raspberry. She hopes to get her ice cream in local stores in the near future.
“I’ve been thinking about it (ice cream) for years,” she said. She serves the treats from an ice cream cart in front of the cafe.
The storefront is stocked with goods from France. There’s Alain Milliat juices, Traou Mad biscuits, L’abeille Diligente candies, Mariage Frères teas and more.
Ferrand said she also has plans to do more catering and sell her almond croissants to high-end wholesalers in the near term.
More information
The Atherton location is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays.
More information is at mademoisellecolette.com.