Sunday Brunch:
30 September 2012
With the close of the '30
Years, 30 Days' countdown to Epcot's 30thAnniversary,
the Days of the Week writers bring you a week of Epcot themed
articles to celebrate the park's special anniversary. To start off
the week, we'll travel to one of the earliest Epcot eateries,
opening with the park in the France Pavilion: The Boulangerie
Patisserie bakery and pastry shop. As with the dining venues in
Italy and other countries, the French restaurants and the bakery and
pastry shop are run by a third-party company. In France, the company
is headed by Jermoe Bocuse, the current president and owner as well
as the son of world famous Chef Paul Bocuse. After 30 years, the
quaint little storybook town bakery and pastry shop still serves
classic French baked goods and has easily become a guest favorite.

While working at the Board Walk Bakery, I had the
fortune to work with Vincent, an International student straight from
France, the birthplace of classical pastry. He taught me that in
France our bakery would not be considered a bakery, or
boulangerie, because we only made desserts and no bread (despite
the thematic signs from WDI promising 'fresh baked buns' and 'whole
grain breads'). In France, the boulangerie is a place that
sells breads while the patisserie ' which is more what the
Board Walk Bakery is ' sells sweets and desserts. In the France
Pavilion at Epcot, the Boulangerie Patisserie is accurately named
since it serves both. The bread selection is minimal ' croissants,
baguettes and rustic cheese bread ' but its presence fulfills the
definition of a real French boulangerie. Additionally, some
baguettes are made into long sandwiches with ham and cheese.

Top row: chocolate croissant, almond triangle, and apple turnovers
Bottom row: the bread selection: ham and cheese croissant sandwich,
rustic bread, baguette sandwich, cheese plate

An alternate view of the display, with vegetable quiche and quiche
Lorraine in the bottom middle row

It's the French Sub, though back home in South Jersey we call it a
hoagie
In addition to bread, as well as fresh quiche,
French coffee, espresso, cappuccino and other beverages, the main
products of the Boulangerie Patisserie are pastries, desserts, and
sweets. Previously on Sunday Brunch, we've explored the
Sacristain, a flaky puff, chocolate pastry twist, though this
was just one of over a dozen sweet treats at the Patisserie portion
of the pastry shop. The menu does change time to time, though
typically many traditional French favorites and classical pastries
are found here such as palmiers (a flaky cookie like pastry, also
called elephant ears), cream puffs, and cr'me brulee. And now a
feast for the eyes to inspire a symphony in your belly:

Top row: chocolate chip cookie, palmiers, sacristain, apple turnover
Bottom row: cake of the day (chocolate cake), cream puffs, cr'me
brulee, napoleon, meringue tart, strawberry tart, chocolate mousse

Apple Tart, though the way the thinly sliced apples are prepared in
this dessert, an Apple Galette would be the more appropriate name

Almond Triangle, a croissant like pastry housing a heavy filling of
almond paste, a confection of primarily ground almonds and sugar,
mostly used in marzipan

Chocolate croissant, my favorite of the French pastries, is a
buttery roll with flaky and puffy layers, a sprinkling of rich
chocolate pieces scattered in between
After getting over the wonders of the
French pastries found here, it's worth taking a minute for
appreciating the shop itself. A tiny, quaint low lit shop, the
Boulangerie Patisserie is simply a long store with a refrigerated
display counter on either side, both offering the same selection.
This set-up allows for maximum efficiency to handle the 'crowds' of
guests, usually pouring out the door. Though popular and often busy
all day, the shop's small size and location in the tucked away side
street of the pavilion makes it seem like it's crowded with long
lines. In all of my visits through the shop, typically, guests pass
through rather quickly.

With guests pouring out the door, it seems like you'll be in this
line forever, though with probably at most 20 people in the bakery
and outside in line at a time, the wait is comparable to walk-on
attractions in which the wait time is based on the physical length
of the queue (e.g. The Seas with Nemo)

Upon entering, an overhead sign instructs guests to use both sides

Cast members serve right from the counter, and also offer to heat up
your order in a small oven that warms up your baked goods while you
move on to the register

While the current shop has a scattering of tables on the street
outside of it, there is no room for indoor seating. Guests can sit
indoors by the gift shop at the exit of Impressions de France.
Whether it is a fancy snack, elegant
after meal dessert, or a small, quick meal (I love getting a warm
quiche Lorraine and croissant for breakfast), the Boulangerie
Patisserie has become one of my favorite places to eat at Epcot.
With more than a dozen pastries, breads, and savory goods, I have
yet to sample the whole menu. I hope to achieve that goal before the
end of the year because the bakery, as well as the two restaurants
in the pavilion, is receiving a major renovation, recently announced
by Disney in late August 2012. Behind the France Pavilion, a new
building is being constructed to house the new bakery. Set to open
next year, the new 'modern' bakery/caf' will include a new bread
oven, a show bakery kitchen, and a dining area to seat 90 guests.
This major expansion will provide all bakery production for all
three restaurants and expand the current bakery's menu to add salads
and sandwiches with fresh baked bread. The current bakery is set to
be changed into a Glacier ice cream shop. With exciting new plans on
the horizon for the Boulangerie Patisserie, I know myself and other
guests will make sure to enjoy our favorite pastries and look
forward to the new pastries to come over the next 30 years.

News resource:
Brandon, Pam. Major Makeover for the France Pavilion
at Epcot' 13 August 2012. Disney Parks Blog.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/08/major-makeover-for-the-france-pavilion-at-epcot/