Pâtisserie Lebeau | July 21, 2020
I almost don’t want to tell you where this conversation took place, because it’s like a secret happy place and a true hidden gem that I’d like to keep for myself. I’ve come by here en route to the airport; you’ll find me here on the morning of my birthday; and it’s where the best of my Saturdays begin.
So know that this place is special. And take this as a public service announcement, if you will, because I am about to tell you where to find the best waffles in Vancouver, and introduce the family who brings this beautiful Belgian experience to the Canadian West Coast.
One Tuesday afternoon, I headed over to meet with Agnès Lebeau, at the bakery that shares her name.
Agnès Lebeau
“My name is Agnès Lebeau. I’m the daughter of the owners [of Pâtisserie Lebeau], Olivier and Penny. I’ve worked here for as long as I can remember. I basically grew up in this place! Apparently I was crawling around everywhere when I was a baby. This place is a really big deal for me. It’s in my blood, and it’s basically a second home for me.”
Agnès is going into her third-year at UBC and hopes to major in creative writing and maybe minor in political science. “I’m still thinking about it. I kind of want to go into journalism, or media studies. We need journalism now more than ever.”
Pandemic times
When the world around me changed in March and a layer of eeriness began to form in the air, I worried and wondered. About many things, obviously, but I also thought, will my local favourite spots survive this season?
“It was a little bit hard at first,” recalls Agnès about the early days of the crisis. “There were so many things we had to adjust to. We kind of had to make up our own rules. How many people can we let in the store? And it was a nightmare finding hand sanitizers, especially in the beginning! And we had to cut on our hours, which hit us a little bit. Of course, we are lucky that we were able to keep going.”
Pâtisserie Lebeau closed for a little over two weeks in late May and early June for store renovation. During this time, they updated the equipment and rearranged the bakery, which now has a spacious new look.
“The renovation gave us time to think about our business and how we wanted to change some things up. It really helped us to open up everything, and it’s given a new breath, honestly.”
Olivier and Penny Lebeau
“Both of my parents are very well-versed and trained in the pastry chef experience,” says Agnès.
October 2018
“They are both immigrants. My dad is from Belgium, and apprenticed in a lot of Belgian bakeries.
My mother is from Hong Kong. She wanted to be a hotel manager, but she discovered pastry cheffing, because that was an aspect of being a hotel manager. You had to know how to be a chef and a pastry chef, and she was just totally entranced by the pastry chef experience!
They met in San Francisco at a culinary school. They both trained for a lot of years, and after they graduated and apprenticed in several other bakeries, they decided to come to Vancouver and open up their own store. And they’ve been doing pastry since we opened in 1995.”
Pâtisserie Lebeau’s first store was on Cypress and 2nd in the Kitsilano neighbourhood, which is only a couple of blocks away from its current location.
“We moved here in 2000,” Agnès explains. “They had me a few weeks after they opened this location. This opened up on November 3, I think, and I was born on November 21. I came out at a very inconvenient time! This place is really special for me. I really grew up with it every step of the way.”
Serving Vancouverites Belgian pastries since ‘95
When Olivier and Penny first started the bakery in ‘95, they were met with a little bit of critique.
Waiting to get on a plane at YVR, April 2019
“They were bringing this very European-style pastry. I don’t know if you saw our apple pies, but we use the streusel instead of the North American way. We brought the waffles and other Belgian specialties to Vancouver. I don’t know if you’ve seen any other place do the rice pies. Those are very famously Belgian. It’s a little pie with rice cream. It’s more popular in the French-speaking region of Belgium.”
Those. Rice. Pies. Are. Delicious. 10/10 would recommend.
“And the waffles. There’s the Liège waffles and the Brussels waffles. The Liège waffles are named after the city Liège in Belgium. It’s supposed to have chunks of pearl sugar, which is compact and doesn’t melt down. So you get that little crunch when you eat it. The Liège waffle is made from a dough, and it’s meant to be sweet. They’re meant to be a treat for every day life.
The Brussels waffle is named after the city Brussels, the capital. It’s the kind that people know a little bit better, because it’s more like the typical American-style waffles, being from a batter. It’s softer and fluffier and a lot easier to bake, because it’s more liquid-y. In Belgium, technically you’re supposed to eat it as plainly as possible.
There’s another one called the Belgian Way, which is supposed to mimic a fair waffle in Belgium. That’s the one where you put the whip cream and the custard and some fruits on top. That’s how we would do waffles at fairs in Belgium!”
Take a waffle on your bike ride
On my many visits to Pâtisserie Lebeau in search of a perfect Saturday breakfast, I often saw customers in line in full cycling gear. I figured it was a popular spot for Vancouver’s cyclist community.
“My dad and I are avid cyclists,” says Agnès. “We love taking the frozen waffles on the bike rides. Just stick them in your pocket and they thaw out, and you can grab them very easily and crack one open.”
“A lot of our customers and friends are cyclists. The rice pies and the Liège waffles are the best ones for the ride. They give you a good amount of energy, and the ingredients are as natural as possible. We make everything ourselves, from the custard to the whip cream and the bread. That’s what my parents and I believe in, that you have to use good quality ingredients. My mom fully believes in good quality food for everyone at an affordable price. That’s kind of her philosophy and her mindset.”
Pâtisserie Lebeau is a sponsor for Ride to Conquer Cancer. They have also sponsored the Penticton and Whistler Fondos in the past.
“Fondos are like a cycling marathon,” Agnès explains. “It’s not like a race, but it’s for people who want to go the distance. We did one when I did the 92k in Penticton a few years back. My dad does a lot more than I do. He’s done the Whistler Fondo, which is over 100k. I don’t know how he does it.”
Belgium & Hong Kong
Agnès grew up familiar with both Belgian and Hong Kong cultures of her parents.
“I’ve gone to Belgium three times, I think. My grandparents lived in Tubize, which is a small town about an hour away from Brussels. My family is a little bit stereotypically Belgian in that my grandfather was a beer brewer and my dad owns a waffle place!
Tubize, Belgium
Fun fact, Belgians love Canadians. Canada helped out Belgium in World War II. So there are many Canadian monuments in Belgium. It was very funny because my grandma was like, this is my granddaughter and she’s Canadian! She was very happy and super proud to show me off.
I think I’ve been to Hong Kong three times, as well. My mom’s family is all there. We always went in the winter, thank god. I don’t know how I’d do in Hong Kong in the summer. Even in the winter, it was still quite warm. It was really fun.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is very diverse, and really has its own culture. It’s both British and Chinese. A little bit Portuguese because of Macau, too. I always say my favourite Hong Kong breakfast is macaroni noodle soup. It’s a big thing in Hong Kong. Ham and bits of corn and macaroni noodles in a soup, and it’s so good!
I’m very proud of both [Belgian and Hong Kong] cultures, cause I’ve had to explain them a lot to people.”
Not your average bakery
“When people come into the store, I get a lot of, oh, that looks too sweet for me, or I’m on this diet. I understand that a lot of people are trying to be conscious about what they eat and how they treat their body. Everyone is trying to lead a healthier lifestyle.
But seeing and knowing how much my parents care about every ingredient, every process and every little detail, we’re not just like every other bakery. What we do is based on countless years of experience. And our pastry has sugar, obviously, but we don’t put too much sugar. We put just enough for what’s needed. I see how much work they put into it, and they will re-do things if the dough is not what they expected it to be, if the baguette is too hard. I’ve seen it all.”
Honestly, no wonder everything they make is so good.
Lately, I’ve been getting their frozen waffles, in an attempt to re-create the Lebeau experience at home. It’s obviously not quite the same as looking for an empty table at the busy bakery on a Saturday morning and enjoying a perfectly plated waffle there, but it’s certainly nice to have that option during these times!
Agnès Lebeau | Pâtisserie Lebeau
