The Allen American Star about Voilà

Voila! breaks bread in Allen

A sprinkle of this, a dash of that and voila — the perfect concoction to make European bread, desserts and other flavorful treats has landed in Allen.

Voila, an authentic French bakery, bistro and café, located in the 1200 block of McDermott Road opened in March of 2006 with the concept of providing more to residents’ palettes than the same old same chain restaurant appeal.

“In Allen, you just have fast food. Why do you have to go to Dallas or far West Plano to get good food?” said Jean-Christophe Blanc, owner and master baker for Voila. The café is open seven days a week and all 15 different artisan breads, pastries and other foods are freshly
made. Blanc and his business partner, Steffen Bay, said to create palatable bread, the kind you won’t find in a supermarket, a starter is needed. The starter for the bread, Blanc said is
very tough to make and requires weeks of preparation, but makes all the difference in the consistency, flavor and texture of the baked goods he serves. The partners have special ovens and equipment in the kitchen from Europe; a novelty compared to other bakeries in the area, said Bay. “It’s like yogurt; you take a little out and add in. And with that equipment we think we have a competitive advantage over others; they just can’t produce the same crust on the
outside and softness on the inside,” said Bay, whose day job is a lawyer for a helicopter company.

Bay credits Blanc with all the artistic creations and in-depth experience with the baked goods.
Blanc was trained in bakeries in Bourg en Bresse, France before coming to the United States in 1994. He used to work for the Buckhead Bread Company, in Atlanta until 1997, where he managed production of the bread for the Olympic Village during the 1996 Olympic Games. In 1997 he and his family moved to the Dallas Metroplex area to work for Eatzis bakery. One thing Blanc said he learned working at Eatzis is that Americans love sandwiches, and the bread is the most important part to him. “When you get good bread, you get a good sandwich,” Blanc said.

The café features design your own sandwiches and signature sandwiches, one of which is Blanc’s personal favorite, the Pan Bagnat. It is a specialty from Nice, France and is composed of tuna, lettuce, egg, tomato, onions, cucumber, green bell pepper and Kalamata olives on a rustic bun. He said many customers order the sandwich as well, but have a hard time pronouncing it.

Joel Aguirre prepares a Signature Chicken Ceasar Salad for a “take-out” customer. Besides breads and pastries Voila! Also features soups and sandwiches. To purchase this photos and others, visit My Capture at scntx.com.
JAMIE MITCHELL- Staff Poto

STEFANIE ACKERMAN
Staff Writer

Contact staff writer Stefanie Ackerman at 972-398-4265 or sackerman@acnpapers.com.