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You can make fresh baguettes at home, from the bakers at La Baguette Magique

Bake-at-home loaves offer crusty convenience at La Baguette Magique, now owned by Andiario.

The team behind Andiario has carried on the French bread tradition at La Baguette Magique in West Chester, which they purchased in October after the owner moved back to France. As a result of the crisis, they've revived the sales of par-baked breads that can be frozen and baked at home to order.
The team behind Andiario has carried on the French bread tradition at La Baguette Magique in West Chester, which they purchased in October after the owner moved back to France. As a result of the crisis, they've revived the sales of par-baked breads that can be frozen and baked at home to order.Read moreLa Baguette Magique / Maria van Schaijik

There are new owners behind La Baguette Magique, and the crusty loaves are as beautiful as ever. The beloved West Chester bakery’s future was in doubt when its founder and talented baker, Catherine Seisson, returned to France last year to be treated for cancer. But Seisson couldn’t have found a better team to keep the hearths firing with quality in mind than Maria van Schaijik and Anthony Andiario, the duo behind the wildly popular Andiario restaurant nearby.

The collaboration possibilities between the two businesses are appealing, says van Schaijik, both for the growing restaurant, which needed more prep space and equipment, and for the bakery-cafe, which plans to expand its bread-friendly provisions and takeout offerings once the coronavirus crisis passes. In the meanwhile, La Baguette Magique has been functioning at nearly full speed, with longtime baker Julie Stewart still working the deck ovens. West Chester’s relatively more lenient restrictions still allow customers inside, as long as they wear masks and social distancing is followed. (Advance payment and curbside delivery is also available for those who call ahead by phone.)

One especially appealing, and convenient, new initiative in response to the crisis, has been the revival of the bakery’s par-baked baguettes. A pale loaf was included in my weekly CSA farm share box of vegetables by Green Meadow Farm, with instructions for finishing. Spritz the loaf with a bit of water, then bake at 400°F for 10 minutes until it emerges golden and crusty. The par-baked loaf also freezes well if you don’t eat it within the first day. So, one could make one trip to West Chester, buy an armful of baguettes and then eat a fresh-from-the-oven loaf every night.

This charming little bakery is helping to ease quarantine, along with the news from France that Seisson’s health is improving.

“I miss my life in West Chester, the community, scaling, mixing, baking, seeing those friendly faces and smiles,” wrote Seisson in an email update. But she’s also “thankful and happy for being alive" and surrounded by family, she said, and “thankful that [la Baguette Magique] is still up and running in the best possible hands.”

— Craig LaBan

Baguettes (fresh or par-baked), $3, La Baguette Magique, 202 W. Market St., West Chester, 610-620-4729; on Facebook. Orders for par-baked baguettes should be placed a day in advance.