Jackson Free Press

Bonjour, cher lecteur! Did that French greeting make you feel classy and European? Good. That was the goal. Now, do me a favor: Pick up whatever you're drinking and take a sip. Did your pinky rocket heavenward? Perfect. You've passed the second test. Now that I know you're a connoisseur of the finer things in life, I feel comfortable sharing a delicious secret with you. Listen carefully, because it won't be a secret for long. There's a new bakery in town, and it's all about luxurious sweets. Meet La Brioche Patisserie.

Though the owners of La Brioche, Alejandra Sprouts and Cristina Lazzari, hail from Argentina, they bring their experiences from traveling all over Europe and South America to the table. Their goal with the bakery is to fuse flavors from different cultures in their pastries.

Along with this culinary blending, the sisters pride themselves on their use of local and organic ingredients, such as eggs from Brown Egg Company in Bentonia. In fact, the sisters got their start in Mississippi as certified organic farmers, growing such crops as sprouts, edible flowers and various herbs. After losing their greenhouse to a tornado in 2010, the pair decided on a career change.

After Sprouts attended the French Pastry School in Chicago, she and Lazzari got together and established La Brioche in November 2013. To Lazzari, the bakery is an answer to a previously unaddressed market in the Jackson area. "There are many bakeries in the city, but I don't think any, yet, have the finesse, or maybe fit the niche, that we do," she says. "We do many international pastries, and we focus on French technique. We're not from here, and we travel back and forth between different places, so we like to blend all of that. I think that's what sets us apart."

While you won't catch these two dealing in typical bakery wares, you might find a new favorite in their wide array of treats, such as mousse cakes, macaroons or dulce de leche. As an emissary of the people, I sampled their best-seller: a traditional Argentinian cookie called an alfajor. The alfajores are comprised of two cookies, offered in different flavors such as dark chocolate and vanilla, sandwiching a caramel spread.

Until November, the sisters relied on the Mississippi Farmers Market to sell their pastries to the public. Now, though, you can find them in the Jackson Enterprise Center across from Battlefield Park on Highway 80.

The sisters are working toward opening a storefront property in Fondren by fall, but until then you can get your hands on their desserts in a couple of ways: You can still find them at the Farmers Market on Saturdays, or order through their website, labriochems.com, and pick up or have their goodies delivered. Additionally, several local businesses carry La Brioche products, including Whole Foods, Sneaky Bean and Fusion. The full menu is available online.