Walking into West Town’s Guillotine Bakery it’s hard to know where to look first. There’s the sparkly copper U-shaped counter near the front door. Above it hangs six industrial lights emitting a soft yellow glow. An old link chain is delicately draped on one of the earth-toned, color-washed walls. But come Wednesday, June 17, when the bakery opens, there’ll be something even more eye-catching: a large room in the corner with windows on two sides, with a team of chefs inside making the baked goods you’ll soon be eating.
“We wanted to give a center stage to the bakers,” says co-owner Alizé Bikard. “Oftentimes, especially in Paris, bakers work nights, they work in the basements, and they never see the light of day or the customers.”
Adds business partner Vincent Didry, “They’re the big stars of the show creating the magic, so they need to be seen.”
The name Guillotine, a clear nod to the French Revolution, was perhaps the first clue that Didry, Bikard, and cofounder Vince Le Bec would be doing something different at their West Town bakery…