A brand-new French-inspired cafe is bringing coffee, croissants, sandwiches served on fresh-baked bread, and more, to St. Augustine. It’s called Maison Louis Café, and it’s headed to 2401 N Ponce De Leon Blvd, Suite B.
What Now spoke on Friday with Jerome Bensimon, the chef behind Maison Louis, about the inspiration bringing this new concept to the area.
“I’ve been lucky to have great mentors,” Bensimon said. “I was working for a while in New York restaurants. It still just makes me happy to cook for people.”
Breaking with what he thinks of as a kind of big-city pretentiousness, Bensimon was looking to start a project that make putting the best food possible in front of people its top priority. The result is a menu of coffee, breakfast, and lunch choices that you can expect to be a showstopper. In fact, Bensimon says the food has already gotten a rave review from the owner of a neighboring shop.
“Our neighbor said, ‘This is the best croissant I’ve had in my life,’” Bensimon said. “I come from restaurants where we would check every plate as it came back to make sure people were happy. That’s what Maison Louis Café is about: passion. It’s about transmitting great flavor, great food, and a great experience.”
Inspired by the extravagance of Gilded Age architecture like that of the Breakers Mansion in Newport, RI, Maison Louis Café promises to create an extravagant, but not ostentatious, culinary experience.
You can keep up with the Maison Louis opening by following @maisonlouiscafe on Instagram.
