French native opens a bakery in Allentown
BY MADDIE MARRIOTT
SOPHIE VANDECASTEELE MOVED TO THE LEHIGH VALLEY from France nine years ago, but it’s taken her nearly a decade to launch her baking business. Vandecasteele—or “Chef Sophie,” as she’s often referred to—opened Sophistiqué French Bakery in Allentown in November after working as a chemist in France and earning a diploma in pastry arts.
After posting her baked goods on her social media accounts during the Covid shutdowns and receiving requests to sell them, she decided to fill an untapped market in the Lehigh Valley: authentic French pastries. It also happened to be what she knew best.
“There are so many other great bakeries here doing cupcakes, muffins, and donuts,” she says. “I wanted to bring something new.”
Before opening her bakery, housed in the first floor of a brick townhouse, she sold her pastries in farmers markets and at pop-ups throughout the region, including Jay’s Local in Allentown. These days, she fires up the ovens at 5am in her own space to make fresh goods every day she’s open. She recommends newcomers start with the simple and classic baguette.
“I don’t think people are used to having something so fresh,” she says. “When you come in, you can really smell it and you know it’s all from that day.”
With notoriously tricky goods like croissants, the quality of ingredients is of key importance to Vandecasteele. She only uses butter from France or New Zealand; the butterfat percentage is higher than their American counterparts.
“If you put them next to each other, you’ll see that American butter is pale, almost white, while European butter is more yellow because of the fat,” she explains. “It really makes a difference.”
“It surprises me how much people around here know about French pastries,” Vandecasteele continues. “They keep asking for more and more and I’m working hard to be able to do it for them.”
Sophistiqué French Bakery
924 Walnut St., Allentown
@chef__sophie on Instagram
