b. patisserie is the culmination of Belinda Leong’s quest to fulfill her dream of owning her own pastry shop in her hometown. Belinda discovered her love of pastry creation during nine years at Gary Danko in San Francisco, and then devoted two years to an internship odyssey around Western Europe working in renown restaurants in Paris, Barcelona, and Copenhagen (that’s right) learning the techniques on display today at b. patisserie. She went to Europe on her own, not knowing anyone, not knowing the languages, and through guts and sheer determination made it work. When she returned from Europe, she took up residence as a head pastry chef at Manresa in Los Gatos, and began planning for what was to become b. patisserie.
The catalyst that turned planning into doing was Michel Suas, a French chef who had co-founded the San Francisco Baking Institute, and both wrote about and taught artisan bread and pastry making. When Belinda asked Michel if he knew anyone who would invest in the bakery she wanted to start, he pointed to himself. Belinda and Michel soon found that they shared a common vision of what their bakery should be — right down to its physical layout — which they designed together. The two of them opened b. patisserie in 2013.
b. patisserie is in some respects a traditional French bakery offering high-end pastries. But Belinda insists it’s “French in the sense that it’s all about the product” but not sterile and formal as some Paris bakeries can be. Through the team that they’ve hired and the atmosphere that they promote, Belinda and Michel endeavor to keep b. patisserie friendly, welcoming, and casual — “a place where people can have great pastries with a great atmosphere with happiness.”
The interior of b. patisserie is bright, modern, airy, and light filled. It’s often busy and its marble-topped tables are at times all filled. But if you can grab a table, you’ll feel like you’re sitting in a European café.
In producing her unique, high-end pastries, Belinda says: “I just really keep my focus on consistency of quality.” She’s clearly focusing on perfection. Perfect modern French-style pastries with some innovation inspired by Belinda’s experiences in European restaurants and her California roots.
