New French bakery, bistro to open downtown

TRYON — A pair of bakers who have spent years sharing their love of French pastries and cuisine with customers all over the country will soon offer a taste of Europe to Tryon’s hungry residents and visitors.

Restaurateurs Christian Jouault and Nick Dhers are currently working on renovations to the former home of the recently closed 10 N. Trade St. Café, where they will open a new bakery and bistro, Cafe La Gaule. The eatery — which the owners plan to open for business on Feb. 1 — will be open for breakfast and lunch, offering a menu the pair describes as “French, with a splash of Spain and a hint of Miami.”

Jouault and Dhers, who both learned their craft in the Normandy region of France, will man the ovens at the new bakery, which will offer croissants, Danishes and other pastries. The kitchen’s menu is being designed by chef Eloise Garcia, Jouault’s wife, who will come up with traditional French bistro staples, created from a rich array of meats, produce and other ingredients mainly sourced from the Carolinas.

For breakfast, diners can expect dishes such as omelets, French toast (created from loaves of brioche  bread, baked on-site) and eggs Benedict, served on a warm croissant instead of the traditional English muffin. For lunch, customers can enjoy bistro staples, such as steak frites, steamed mussels and several different French salads.

Being a native of Spain, Garcia’s menu will also contain some tastes of the Iberian Peninsula, Jouault said.

“Don’t be surprised to find some tapas on the menu in the afternoon,” he said.

Cafe La Gaule is the first joint venture for Jouault and Dhers, who met over a decade ago in Miami when Dhers took a job at Jouault’s first restaurant, Café Bastille. The two have traveled to different sporting events across the U.S., including the U.S. Open and Ryder Cup, cooking and selling crepes to visitors from Jouault’s crepe cart.

Wanting to be closer to family, Dhers later moved to the Spartanburg area, where he opened his first restaurant, Le Spice — a French-Thai fusion bakery — in 2016. Last August, Dhers opened a second location in downtown Spartanburg.

With two establishments to his name, Dhers said he did not have any immediate plans to open a third. After checking out the recently vacated storefront on Trade Street last month at the suggestion of one his suppliers, however, he quickly changed his mind — though he was apprehensive to jump into another business by himself, with two other shops to tend to back home, he said.

Fortunately, late last year, his old boss and friend purchased a home in Inman, looking for a change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Miami. After looking at the location in downtown Tryon, Jouault decided to partner with Dhers, making Cafe La Gaule a reality.

“Tryon is great. It’s beautiful,” Jouault said. “I really love it here. It reminds of a small village in Normandy.”

Since moving into the space last week, the pair have been hard at work reshaping it to fit their vision. The owners plan to repaint the place; install new furniture, flooring and kitchen equipment; and put up new décor, with plans to eventually place a photo gallery of regular customers on one of the walls, Jouault said.

The two also plan to install a small bar area inside the dining room, with their eye on serving beer and wine after their liquor license is approved, hopefully by spring, the owners said. They hope to launch dinner service by then as well, offering dishes such as rack of lamb and sea bass, the two said.

While they want to deliver high-quality French cuisine, Jouault and Dhers said they envision Cafe La Gaule as a bistro where customers can come as they are and enjoy a good meal in a casual atmosphere at a reasonable price.

“We want this to be a place where people can come to get some brunch or lunch, buy a cake or something for someone’s birthday, and hang out,” Dhers said.

Cafe La Gaule is located at 10 N. Trade St., Tryon. Those interested in learning more may call 786-488-4729 or visit facebook.com/cafelagaule.