ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Sophie Vandecasteele's French bakery smelled as if it was begging to be open.
On a recent afternoon she was testing one of her two new ovens with a fresh batch of croissants.
The smell of just one sheet of croissants that permeated throughout the first floor of the 1,648-square-foot building could have floated a cartoon character through the door.
A single sheet of them sat on a cooling rack next to Vandecasteele's new convection ovens at 924 Walnut St. The flaky texture of the golden crescents were immediately recognizable.
The last piece of the puzzle needed was to pass her final health inspection Monday, which she told LehighValleyNews.com she "got all the authorizations for."
There are still some finishing touches to be made — like more decor, and hopefully another thrifted buffet table — but Vandecasteele hopes to open before Thanksgiving and plans to hold a soft opening this Friday, Nov. 22.
It hasn't exactly been a long time coming.
The French-American first got her footing in the Lehigh Valley by partnering with Jay's Local in Allentown in 2023.
She started selling her baked goods at the Macungie Farmers' Market and Trexlertown Farmers' Market this year where consistent positive feedback from customers eventually persuaded her to open her own bakery.
"They keep asking me, 'When are you going to open your shop?'" she recalled. "And really, it was not — I mean, it was something I had in mind, but it was not the right timing for me..."
Vandecasteele's son just entered college, so opening a bakery wasn't a pre-planned expense, complete with all brand-new appliances, flooring and ceiling, to name a few upgrades.
But when she saw the building at 924 Walnut St. in Allentown was for sale in May, she said she jumped at the opportunity.
It was previously a tattoo parlor and needed a complete revamp, but Vandecasteele said her community is what got her through it. New plumbing, refrigerators, ovens, ceiling mixers and a thrifted buffet table later, she wouldn't have it any other way.
Her way.
"How can I say that I'm really the kind of person who is never satisfied, you know," Vandecasteele said. "I'm always like, I can do better..."
Like a perfectionist?
"Yeah, I'm a perfectionist," she said with a smile.
That's why she said she'll never sell croissants that aren't fresh. Or why she won't rest until a few weeks after she opens.
Finishing touches
She still needs some finishing touches, especially ones that pay homage to her French beginnings.
While a few photos from back home in Léon will do for now, Vandecasteele said she's missing decor that she feels she can only find in France. The closest she could find were faux lavender flowers, which reminded her of the French countryside.
"But it's funny, because after eight years here [in the United States], I'm like 'What is it that looks like French?'" she said.
Vandecasteele didn't start out as a baker.
In France, she said she worked as a chemist, but chuckled adding that the two sort of go hand-in-hand.
She first picked up the desire to bake to make cakes for her children. She taught herself through YouTube videos in her spare time. She later took a French culinary exam.
"At that time, I was 40 years old," Vandecasteele said. "I mean, the students were, like, 16, and I had a full-time job, so I didn't want to quit my job to go to school, so I just watched videos and went by the book, really."
And she passed, with a certificat d'aptitude professionelle to show for it, which will also be hanging in her bakery.
"So I was like 'now it's time for me to do something for me.' And I really enjoy baking and sharing this."Sophie Vandecasteele, owner of Sophistiqué
When Vandecasteele's family moved to the United States for her husband's job — he works for the Volvo Group, which is part of Mack Trucks — she stayed home to care for her kids.
"But now they are teenagers, they don't need me anymore," she said. "So I was like 'now it's time for me to do something for me.' And I really enjoy baking and sharing this."
Vandecasteele's popularity grew when she partnered with Jay's Local, an Allentown coffee shop at 23rd and Liberty streets, near Muhlenberg College, to sell her baked goods. The local business announced the partnership in August 2023, and began in September of that year.
In 2024, she moved her business to the Trexlertown and Macungie Farmers' Markets, where customers encouraged her to open up her own brick-and-mortar bakery. The patisserie will feature fresh-baked goods, like pain au chocolat (chocolate bread), croissants, baguettes and macarons.
Entrepreneurship "was a dream," she said, but the community that supported her was the push she needed.
"It's really something that I really appreciate here — it's the support."Sophie Vandecasteele, owner of Sophistiqué
"It's really something that I really appreciate here — it's the support," Vandecasteele said. "I mean, maybe in France, it's different now after COVID, I don't know. But here, I really appreciate the support, even from other small businesses."
Loyal customers have already taken to leaving five-star reviews of her bakery on Google.
Zach Nebbaki said the Lehigh Valley is "so lucky" to have Vandecasteele's French baking.
"Her love for what she does truly shines through in every pastry," Nebbaki said in a review. "Hands down, her croissants are unbeatable — they take me back to my childhood."
Customers shared similar comments on her Nov. 12 Facebook post announcing the bakery would soon be open, as well as excitement at the news. Like Google, Vandecasteele's Facebook also boasts of rave reviews, with a 100% recommendation.
Like her customers, Vandecasteele can't wait for her opening or to test out her "tons of ideas."
"I'm really excited," she said. "I'm really scared, too. But I mean, I'm almost 50, I have to release now. It's like now or never."
