Photo: Rachel Nadeau
French native Florence Aymard brings pastries, passion and perseverance to Maple Grove.
The delicious aroma wafting from Florence Aymard’s Crepe and Cake is often enough to lure attendees of the Maple Grove Farmers Market to her bright blue, white and red food truck. Inside, Aymard is cooking two crepes at a time, flipping the thin, pancake-like pastries and serving them up hot and fresh with generous portions of sweet or savory fillings. Decadent decorations like whipped cream and sprinkles appeal to adults and kids alike, and Aymard’s dedication to providing an experience for all five senses is evident in each delightful creation.
Aymard, who grew up baking crepes under the tutelage of her grandmother in France’s Brittany region, spent 11 years at GE Healthcare Services before her husband’s job landed them in the U.S. She decided it was time for a career change.
Aymard tested the concept with a booth at the Maple Grove Farmers Market, and though she initially wanted to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant, she landed on the food truck as a way to keep overhead low while being her own boss. “With three little kids, I need flexibility,” she says. “The food truck is the best solution; I can do lunch and be back home with my kids.”
After launching Crepe and Cake in 2014, Aymard got a crash-course in the joys of being an entrepreneur. Aymard learned to do a little bit of everything as a small-business owner, from prepping batter and sourcing ingredients to marketing and doing repairs on her truck. She even designed her own logo and painted it on the truck herself.
Today, Aymard runs her own website and social media pages, with more than 2,000 followers on Facebook. Crepe and Cake is regularly booked for corporate events, weddings and graduations in addition to farmers markets. She even visits Maple Grove Senior High so students can practice their French-language skills by ordering crepes and conversing with a native speaker.
“People are so kind to me. Sometimes, when I do a graduation party, they hug me and treat me like part of the family,” she says.
Aymard keeps her menu as diverse as possible to accommodate many loyal followers, with popular fillings like Nutella, white chocolate and strawberries or ham and gruyere cheese alongside weekly specials like creamy camembert and blueberries or banana with whipped cream and Baileys liqueur.
“I could have a smaller menu, but then people might miss out on experiencing something that could be great,” she says, noting the very popular Merci crepe, a combination of turkey, cranberries and gruyere, was born from a customer’s idea for a Thanksgiving-themed lunch.
Just in time for next month’s holiday!
Find Crepe and Cake at the Maple Grove Farmers Market every Thursday 3–7 p.m.
For location updates, specials or to book the truck for a private event, visit the website here.
