Grande Crêperie, a debut concept from husband and wife duo Patrick Ascaso and Joanna Pulcini-Ascaso of family-owned Le Marais Bakery, has opened within San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace, according to a press release.
“Grande Crêperie celebrates the naturally leavened-style crêpes that are the cornerstone of casual French cuisine” and offers a selection of both savory and sweet crêpes and all-butter croissants and pastries.
The menu highlights seasonal, Bay Area-grown ingredients, brought to the Ferry Building Farmers Market by the region’s local farmers, those Chef and Le Marais Bakery owner Patrick Ascaso have purchased from for the past decade for his French Bakery, Le Marais.
Ascaso has been shopping from the Ferry Building Farmers Market every Saturday for years, bringing his young daughter with him to pick out the best seasonal ingredients to use in his Le Marais Bakery pastries and he will do the same for the Grande Crêperie crêpes.
“The Ferry Building holds a special place in our hearts and we are very excited to officially be a part of the marketplace,” Ascaso said. “We are evoking memories and nostalgia from where I grew up in France, bringing our guests straight there through our menu and decor.”
Emmanuelle Condessa, owner and chef at La Bara-K Crêperie in Saint-Nazaire for the past 18 years, has joined the team as a Grande Crêperie consultant. Celebrated for her sweet crêpes and her salé galettes made with farine de sarrasin and organic buckwheat flour, Condessa will be adding her mushroom with garlic french butter crêpe to the menu, with a local spin utilizing the Ferry Building’s own Far West Fungi.
In addition to crêpes, Grande Crêperie will serve a selection of Breton pastries, such as Nantes Cake (Gateau Nantais, an almond rum tea cake), Tarte Normande (apple tart with Calvados Apple Brandy), and Palet Breton (translated “Breton puck” from the French shuffleboard game). Additionally, Chefs Ascaso and Pradet have developed a selection of seasonal salads to round out the menu. Le Marais Bakery’s barista family will be brewing locally roasted Wrecking Ball Coffee, and Straus organic vanilla soft serve ice cream will be offered a la mode, in cups, or in a sarrasin buckwheat cinnamon waffle cone (gluten-free).
The Grande Crêperie space, designed by Pulcini-Ascaso, is meant to feel like the traditional family-owned crêperies throughout France, replicating the feeling of France’s northwesternmost province of Brittany, where crêpes first originated. The space, with six indoor seats and 36 outdoor seats, will incorporate the Breton stripe design throughout, with French doors and large glass windows overlooking the Bay Bridge and the Ferry Plaza.
“We are delighted to welcome this brand-new concept from the beloved Le Marais Bakery team to the Ferry Building,” Jane Connors, General Manager of the Ferry Building, said. “We are eager to support Grande Crêperie in its debut opening and we truly can’t wait to see how they will continue to incorporate local ingredients from the area and our Ferry Building merchants. This family-owned business is a perfect addition to our local merchant roster.”
Grande Crêperie is located at Suite 46, which is situated along the Back Plaza side of the building. The café is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to start, followed by expanded hours and service seven days a week towards the end of the month.
