Victoria Effantin and Cécile Khayat were forced to meet. If one has a slight preference for salty and the other for sweet, both only think about one thing: what they just ate or what they could put in their mouths. When they first crossed paths in 2015, one worked in marketing at Marlette, a cake mix brand, and the other at Lov Organic (now Kusmi), which markets organic teas and infusions. “Our two companies belonged to the same group, so we met periodically for events”recalls Cécile Khayat.
They exchange recipes and good addresses and, very quickly, an idea germinates in their heads: to create a beautiful bakery where everything is homemade. “It was the fashion of bistronomy and star pastry chefs, but nothing happened in the bakery”recalls Cécile Khayat. And Victoria Effantin added: “Everyone eats bread and yet it is still the extra part of the meal that we don’t even pay attention to anymore. »
With a CAP in pastry for the first and in bakery for the second, they multiply their experiences in different establishments to compare work methods and capture some techniques before opening, in July 2017, a first boutique on rue Condorcet (Paris 9) .my) whose sign modestly indicates “Neighborhood Bakery.”
The arrival of the two women into this very masculine environment is a clash of cultures. “They laughed in our faces. At that time there were no cases of professional reconversion in bakeries and, even less so, of women. Many of our interlocutors questioned our legitimacy and our desire to offer only homemade products. »
For the first three years, although they had hired a pastry chef, the two partners got to work. One in the bakery, another in the pastry laboratory, sometimes even in the store. In a world that has become industrialized, the Mamiche concept stands out. “People complained when in December they couldn’t find strawberry cake or croissants after 1 in the afternoon. »
Vanilla cabbage, marbled babka, muffin burger
At the same time that they were learning their trade, their customers were discovering the limitations inherent to artisanal baking. The second address, located at 32 rue du Château-d’Eau (Paris 10my), was inaugurated in 2019, exactly two years after the first. Proud of a career that leaves many players in the sector speechless, Victoria Effantin likes to dream of posterity: “I would like Mamiche to one day consolidate itself as a kind of institution. I would like to pass the recipe book on to my children. » Cécile Khayat bursts out laughing. This is also the Mamiche touch: humor and joy of life.
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