Fancy French treats, anyone?
The site of a former Chase Bank on Bell Boulevard in Bayside will soon be home to a French patisserie run by a local family team.
Dubbed The French Workshop, the cafe will have seating available for those seeking a leisurely dining experience. It is set to open sometime in early November at a corner spot of Bell Boulevard and 39th Avenue.
Traditional French desserts will be offered, including high-end, high-quality traditional breads and cakes. The menu will also feature American-style desserts and pastries, ice cream and coffee roasted in-house from fresh coffee beans.
Baking ovens have been specially shipped in from France to create goods for The French Workshop, according to Jerry Pantelatos, who owns the business with his family. He said buying from a country internationally recognized for their pastries ensured that his business would be using top-of-the-line equipment and creating the best possible product right here in Queens.
“Generally the systems that they implement in baking there are so sophisticated because the culture of French baking is so powerful,” Pantelatos said. “They’re generations ahead of every other country.”
The family is also working with partners from Cypress, Greece, who will add their expertise to the business.
Family patriarch Nick Pantelatos was sure that the quality of offerings on the menu would ensure success for The French Workshop.
“We’re going to have the best pastries and the best ice cream,” Pantelatos said.
The Pantelatos family has already had culinary success in New York City. They also run Artopolis, which has Zagat-rated outposts in the Upper West Side and Astoria and serves traditional Greek pastries, and other restaurants.
The Bayside-based family considers their new spot to be a homecoming and they are excited to be a part of the local scene.
“We were like, it’s about time we come back and bring our knowledge to the area, because we love Bayside,” said the younger Pantelatos, who has lived in the neighborhood his whole life.
