Linda Falkenstein
Now open on the west side...
The popular -- even famed -- La Baguette bakery of Minocqua pulled up stakes from that northern Wisconsin resort community last August and this past Saturday opened a new site in the Cambridge Court shopping center on Madison's west side.
The bakery had been lauded in Northwoods travel articles in spots as far-flung as the Honolulu Star Bulletin and the Los Angeles Times, where James Dannenberg hailed La Baguette as being "as genuine a French patisserie-boulangerie as I've seen outside Gaul."
But business in Minocqua was very seasonal, says La Baguette co-owner Carine Vigy. She and husband, master-baker Olivier, decided to give Madison a try. "We like Madison, and we found a lot of our customers [in Minocqua] were from Madison."
The Vigys opened the bakery in Minocqua in 2001 after relocating from France. Olivier is French; Carine's father was French, but her mother was originally from Wisconsin.
La Baguette bakes boules, brioches, batardes, baguettes, ciabatta and other loaves like raisin walnut; pastries, including Napoleons; croissants, turnovers, tarts and more. Plus they serve sandwiches and a variety of quiches (goat cheese and fresh basil, mushroom, ham) as well. The space is light, open and airy, with plenty of tables for a sit-down.
Currently La Baguette, 7424 Mineral Point Road, is open 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., although Vigy says they may extend those hours after the business settles in.
