Americans Make Better Customers, Says Brewster’s French Pastry Chef

Thierry Danvin Sam For almost two years, Thierry Danvin has been offering French pastries to Putnam. His shop, Brewster Pastry, is filled with the smell of apple crumb, hand-dipped cookies, and raspberry tart. Putnam has shown a considerable appetite for all of Danvin’s creations: “It’s always the same comment,” he said. “‘It was so good I almost ate the plate.”

Danvin’s biography is chock full of old-world charm. Born in Alsace, he says that many of his cakes and pastries have a taste of his childhood. He trained for years as an apprentice baker, then pastry chef, before becoming a master and embarking on a career with Club Med, the French resort company. It was while working in Turks and Caicos that he met his American wife. They settled in Patterson, and eventually Danvin set out on his own. Now Brewster Pastry offers over 45 varieties of cookies, dozens of cakes in three sizes, fresh donuts, Danishes, and of course French bread.

Danvin’s mission is simple: put out the finest pastries at a good price and give the customer his best service. Danvin is so discriminating about fruit that he only buys peaches once a year from one supplier. His peach tarts will be available for only a few more weeks. “Next month it will be plums,” he said.

“We’re a little bit upscale, but upscale at the right price,” Danvin added. “We’re not in Westchester.”

Danvin tries to keep his storefront as warm and inviting as the cookies that emerge from the ovens. “I wish we had more tables so people could stay and enjoy it more,” he said. “We try to be nice. I kill the girls to be nice,” he says laughing, referring to his employees. Customers have a partial view of the kitchen, all the better to see a master technician at work, and to catch a whiff of the next batch. “For me it is a plus for people to see me working with the food. They know it is good.”

Even in a tough economic downturn, Brewster Pastry has seen its business climb steadily, if more slowly. “My reputation is growing very well, ”Danvin said with some pride. “People are hurt in the economy. So they buy a small size cake, but they buy more (of them),” Danvin said. He added that, while not trying to be too cocky, he is exploring how to expand his business.

Thierry says it is easier to do business in America, not only because there are fewer regulations, but because Americans make better customers.

“People are willing to try things here more,” he said. “The American palate is very diverse. They have knowledge. They know what tiramisu should taste like. We have a big Italian community here and so they know what the cannoli should taste like.”

The bakery is ideally located to serve such a diverse palate. Brewster Pastry is situated among a row of international flavors in the plaza where Route 312 meets Route 22. With Mexican, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese restaurants and an Irish pub nearby. Thierry says,“we could hang up all the flags.”

What’s the best part of being a baker? “Look at me,” Danvin said, motioning toward his rotund figure, “I get to try a little bit of everything.”