I am quite positive that my husband and I were the first official customers of Crepes & Delices when they opened in 2014. We happen to live close by and had been eagerly awaiting its debut. Since then, I have taken everyone who has visited me inside this delightful cafe for a quick bite and have developed a wonderful relationship with its owner. Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of meeting each of Florent Cohen's family members, including his lovely parents who travel frequently from Paris to work in the shop and help take care of their two adorable grandchildren.
When Florent first came to New York from Paris to work for the French bank BNP, he began to contemplate the need for an authentic creperie. As a student in Paris, he had essentially lived off the thin, flat pancakes, and was always seeking a crepe that could truly replicate a taste of home. After ten years on Wall Street, he decided to leave the world of finance in order to open his own eatery.
It took about two years to get off the ground. Florent traveled to the French region of Brittany, where many believe the best crepes are created. It is here that he learned how to make "galettes" with savory buckwheat flour. Using their 700-year-old recipe, while making sure to use the best ingredients of organic flour, milk, and eggs, he was ready to take his show across the Atlantic.
Florent was no stranger to the culinary world; his grandmother owned a catering company. He told me that he had grown up watching her cook, and that he and his siblings occasionally worked as waiters. Similarly, Florent has begun sharing his passion with his own two young children. "They both love crepes," he told me, with a smile. In a way, however, Florent has three children: "It's like having a kid," he said of opening the creperie and needing to be tuned into the business every minute of every day. Florent's ability to balance family life and work became especially impressive when he excitedly told me - towards the end of the 2015 summer - that he was about to open another Crepes & Delices on East 86th Street.
Florent has experienced great success so far. He is constantly setting up crepe stations at private parties, he was invited to open a pop-up in the Trump building for a few months during the holiday season, and Citibank asked him to sell crepes at the Mets Stadium as part of a competition with other independent restaurants. Even though a burger company ended up ultimately winning, he relished the opportunity. And, last but not least, he appeared with me in The Wall Street Journal in September of 2014, when he first opened.
The crepes speak for themselves and can be filled with both sweet and savory combinations, but Florent continues to expand his menu. "Before I moved in, the location on 86th Street was an ice cream parlor for thirty years. There should be ice cream here again," he told me. Thus, both locations are going to be serving gelato, as well as chocolate mousse, parfaits, and tiramisu in the not too distant future. When I asked him if there were other expansions in the works, he laughed and said, "Give me another six months."