Francois Poupart and his wife, Louise, immigrated to Louisiana from France in 1965. Over the past 60 years, they have been at the forefront of traditional French baking in Lafayette with the family business, Poupart Bakery.
Francois Poupart died on Monday, May 18, at the age of 91. Since starting Poupart Bakery in 1967 using his skills as a Paris pastry chef, the bakery has become a Lafayette institution alongside his son and grandson, Patrick Poupart and Andre Poupart.
Poupart Bakery is located at 1902 W. Pinhook Road, Lafayette. It sells French bread, cakes, sandwiches, a whimsical range of pastries and more treats at the bakery, and during Mardi Gras season, Poupart’s sells thousands of classic Louisiana king cakes alongside Galette des Rois — a traditional French king cake consisting of puff pastry with an almond filling.
Through the bakery, the catering business and festival pop-ups, Poupart Bakery has woven itself into the fabric of Lafayette. The bread is sought for po-boys, and they provide French bread to Lafayette restaurants like Cafe Habana City, for their Cubano sandwiches. Poupart Bakery is a frequent vendor at annual events like Festival International and Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, where they sling local delicacies like crawfish pistolettes, beignets and shrimp étouffée puff pastry…