We all want to find a locally made croissant like the ones you nibble on with hot coffee in the boulangeries of Paris. It’s not easy. Many are too doughy and heavy. The perfect croissant is light and airy. It has a crisp, flakey crust that leaves crumb dust on your plate. Pull apart the perfect croissant to reveal layers of buttery, puffy dough. We love this description in Michelin on how to decode the perfect croissant.
Photo: Ayu Bakehouse
Fortunately, in New Orleans a corner bake shop in the Marigny neighborhood just back of the French Quarter does just that…and more. Ayu Bakehouse was opened in 2022 by Samantha Weiss and Kelly Jacques, both alumnae of Breads Bakery in New York City. There was a Breads Bakery location near our lower Fifth Avenue apartment. We’d go there for the croissants, the canelé de Bordeaux and the chocolate babka.
Kelly Jacques grew up in a military family and studied glass blowing at Tulane University in New Orleans. But her interest in baking started when she was a young girl. While attending Tulane she started a bike-based bread delivery service called The Bikery. Deciding to move into cooking, she enrolled in culinary school in New York City. It was there that she met Samantha Weiss, who was looking to switch out of a career in finance to cooking.
Kelly Jacques and Samantha Weiss at AYU Bakehouse Photo: Sam Hanna
The two became co-workers at Breads Bakery. They eventually went their separate ways, but not for too long. In 2022 they formed a partnership to open Ayu Bakehouse at 801 Frenchmen St. This street is better known for its charming creole cottages and live music joints on Frenchman Street. But head there on a weekend morning and fine a line forming outside Ayu Bakehouse. The bakeshop is open every day 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays except major holidays.
Since opening in 2022, Ayu Bakehouse has been named one of top 10 bakeshops in New Orleans. In a city where sugar was always a big business and family-owned baked shops date back generations, that’s impressive!
Chocolate Babka Loaf at AYU Bakehouse
Ayu (pronounced like “bayou”) is an Indonesian term for joy. It is a nod to Kelly Jacques’ family heritage in Southeast Asia. The bake shop celebrates the flavors of New Orleans rolled into dough. Hits include the muffaletta breadsticks laced with bits of olives and salami, parmesan chive biscuits, “shroom boom,” a crusty pastry filled with mushrooms, and the Boudin Boy, a hand-held pastry filled with boudin sausage and hard-boiled egg. The two have refined their work making croissants, flakey pastries and savory and sweet breads. We’ve been told to reserve early for Ayu Bakehouse’s Mardi Gras king cake which was voted one of the best in the city.
AYU Bakehouse ‘Shroom Boom: Mushrooms enveloped in a flakey croissant Photo: Sam Hanna
There is also some creative whimsy in Ayu Bakehouse’s offerings such as the “Challahgator,” a centerpiece bread shaped like an alligator. Holiday desserts include Citrus Pecan Pie, Caramel Apple Cake and Pumpkin Pie with a flakey croissant crust. Yes, Ayu Bakehouse delivers nationwide.
AYU Bakehouse “Challahgators”- Photo by Paprika Studios
Investing in their team matters. In 2024 Ayu Bakehouse launched and sponsored a five-week Semita Mamita pop-up bakery featuring the El Salvadorean pastries of Bella McDow, a bakery employee. Jacques and Weiss generously provided coaching and business advice to support the pop-up. That’s the spirit of sharing the dough and giving back!
Ayu Bakehouse
801 Frenchmen St., (504) 302-7985
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