Oct 4

Oct 4 Le French Fix Pâtisserie – A Tiny Taste of Paris in Downtown Halifax

Local Business, Lifestyle, Food Photography

It was the vibrantly coloured macarons that caught my eye when I first walked into Le French Fix Pâtisserie. I had been anxiously awaiting the opening of this lovely little pastry shop in downtown Halifax, and the moment had come to choose the first sweet to sample. Showcased in colourful rows were a gorgeous spectrum of flavours – classics like lemon, lavender, raspberry and rose as well as seasonal flavours like pumpkin spice, gingerbread and crème brûlée, and these were just the macarons! I’ve since tried just about everything Le French Fix has to offer, croissants, canelés, artisanal pastries… If you have a sweet tooth, this is the place for you.

My sweet tooth has brought me into Le French Fix often enough to have become friends with Geoffroy and Alison. We’ve had great conversations about the joys and challenges of running a small business, and I wanted to learn more about their decision to bring Le French Fix to (lucky) Haligonians. Geoffroy is from Rouville in Picardie, near Paris and Alison is from Cape Breton. They met at The Keltic Lodge where Alison was a massage therapist and Geoffroy was a pastry chef, then spent time living in Jasper, New Zealand and France, eventually returning to Nova Scotia where they opened Le French Fix in 2012 – a business that had been their vision for several years. Geoffroy creates all of his decadent desserts in the small kitchen in the shop, and Alison runs her Massage Therapy business upstairs.

They are passionate about their work, but are equally committed to spending time at their home in Prospect Village. I took a stroll through their village along with their daughter Emmeline, capturing a few family photos before their latest addition of the family arrives. They obviously cherish their time spent by the ocean, paddle boarding, searching in the seaweed for crabs with their daughter, and just relaxing on the beach. Time away from work, is fiercely protected – while they’re dedicated to their careers, they adhere to their belief that “life is more important”. Joie de vivre, indeed!

This doesn’t mean they aren’t always thinking ahead to new business ventures, like expanding the workshops that Geoffroy has enjoyed teaching in the pastry shop. These popular, intimate classes offer a hands-on experience making authentic French pastries, but have been tricky to co-ordinate with people’s busy schedules. Le French Fix is working on a series of online video workshops where students can learn at their own pace, on their own schedule - great news for anyone who wants to bake to impress. This also allows Geoffroy and Alison to expand their business and share traditional recipes with the innovative use of technology.

The next time you are strolling through downtown Halifax, pop into this inspiring local pâtisserie to say hello, and get a little taste of Paris!