Old Post 20: Bringing Bretagne to Pittsburgh, Jean Marc Chatellier Bakery

His slogan- when taste matters.  His delivery?  Nearly perfect.

Nestled in the middle of Millvale, Pennsylvania (of all places) is a French-style bakery so close to a true French patisserie that it transports you to Paris, even if for just a moment.  While Jean Marc Chatellier's is on the smaller side, the selection is not.  You can choose from an array of delectable tarts and breakfast pastries and round your choices off with cakes, cookies, and the irresistible Breton cake, a buttery Bretagne-style shortbread.  

This bakery has been the "great white buffalo" (reference Hot Tub Time Machine) of the Sugar Love bakery stops.  Each time it's been on the list to review (and this has been weekly for about a month), Jean Marc's has managed to stay just out of reach.  The first few times it was up for review, time was the issue.  A drive to Millvale just wasn't in the cards.  Then, at the end of July, time was not a problem, but Jean Marc's was closed for 2 weeks of holiday.  Ah, to be French. 

Then, this week, knowing they were open, the drive was made on Monday only to find that Jean Marc's is closed on Mondays.  The more elusive the bakery became, the more determined the Sugar Love craving became.  Yesterday, finally (!), the bakery was open and time came in abundance.  For as small of a shop as it is, you could easily spend 15 minutes salivating over his creations.  Sugar Love chose a croissant, a cinnamon croissant, a sweet brioche loaf, a chocolate rum pecan torte, an apple tart, a fresh fruit tart, a blueberry almond tart, a slice of raspberry mousse cake, a slice of cappuccino tiramisu cake, and a breton cake. 

Now, Jean Marc's was recommended for his croissants, which did not disappoint (although admittedly, Bouchon's were a little bit tastier).  They were moist, buttery, flaky and tender, as any good croissant should be.  The cinnamon croissant was especially tasty.  However, it was the Breton cake and the raspberry mousse cake that stole the show. 

Raspberry mousse cake is something you could probably find at another bakery.  However, Jean Marc's mastery of the thin layer of chocolate genoise paired with a lighter-than-air raspberry mousse is something that you couldn't find anywhere else in town.  It was quite simply beautifully, delectably, delicious.

The Breton cake is not something you can find at any other bakery and it's without a doubt, worth the trip.  When you think of shortbread, you are likely thinking of a barely sweet, buttery cookie that is iced. This French-style shortbread is nothing like that.  Jean Marc's is moist and buttery and lightly sweet, but has the texture of a cake, not a cookie.  To give you an idea, take a look at this link with a recipe for Breton cake.

Jean Marc's offerings were consistently delicious.  Almost everything would have been rated an overall 5 on the Sugar Love scale.  His attention to detail is shown in the meticulously appealing baked goodies he serves at his bakery Tuesday-Saturday.  For a true taste of France, come to Jean Marc's.

Jean Marc Chatellier's Breton Cake on the Sugar Love Scale

Taste ♥♥♥♥♥
Texture ♥♥♥♥♥
Appearance ♥♥♥♥
Overall ♥♥♥♥♥