The San Antonio favorite is making its Austin debut this fall. 

By Mary Murphy, Pictures courtesy of Bakery Lorraine 

The clock was ticking and Anne Ng and Jeremy Mandrell needed to come up with a name for the bakery they never imagined they would open. As the opening day was quickly approaching, the dynamic duo went with Ng’s middle name: Lorraine. With personal meaning and French roots, it just seemed to click. It wasn’t long after that Bakery Lorraine opened its first location at The Pearl in San Antonio in 2012. Fast-forward six years and the attention-driven bakery has four locations, has been honorably mentioned in well-known publications and has a growing fan base. It only makes sense this easy-to-love bakery is making its way to the city of Austin.

Ng and Mandrell thought their baking days were behind them as they planted their roots in Texas and took jobs in the tech industry. But soon, they began to miss baking for themselves and their friends. The two took their tasty skills to a farmers market in San Antonio, which sparked their popularity, passion and purpose. It was then the concept for Bakery Lorraine was conceived.

At Bakery Lorraine, the smallest of things can make the biggest difference. From classic flaky croissants to rum-infused, custard-filled canelés, the attention to detail is impeccable. Bakery Lorraine stands apart from other bakeries, with its biggest influence being its customers. The bakers truly listen to what customers want.

With great success in San Antonio, Ng notes it was natural to move into Austin.

“Austin is right in our backyard, so it only makes sense to move in that direction,” she says. “There is so much culinary energy buzzing over there right now. We want to be part of it.”

The pair is keeping all customers in mind with their menu options, recognizing many Austinites are quite health- conscious. There are lighter options on the menu, including beautiful salads, and the bakers make everything from scratch with premium ingredients.

Starting a bakery was no easy feat. Ng admits the biggest challenge was recognizing the limitations.

“We were working so much in the beginning,” Ng says. “We had to be able to accept that there was only so much product we could make between the two of us. We’d get so excited about all the ideas we had, but there was no way we could make all of them at the same time.”

With a menu that changes seasonally, Ng and Mandrell are sure to eat something from the bakery every day to check the quality of their pastries.

Bakery Lorraine’s expansive menu is unique in the sense there are a lot of classic pastries with a local twist, like the mangonada tart and the horchata cake. But by far, the most popular items on the menu are the mouthwatering Parisian macarons.

Austin’s pastry lovers can sink their teeth into Bakery Lorraine’s delectable treats, with the bakery opening this fall at Domain Northside.

 

 

 

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