Fleur De Lis Patisserie and Cafe

A Trip to France: French Baking Comes to Cottage Grove
Reprinted with Permission of the Eugene Weekly.

It's Saturday morning and Fleur de Lis Patisserie and Café owner Maureen Rosenberger is busy behind the counter, a huge smile on her face as she cheerfully greets customers by name, jokes around and serves them the tempting fresh pastries that fill the bakery's cases.

Business, she says, has been crazy since the authentic French bakery opened in early April. The shop already has a loyal following of regulars who say they'd been waiting for just such a place to open in Cottage Grove. "It was like an early Christmas present to Cottage Grove," says customer Vera Kilstion.

Rosenberger and her partner and Fleur de Lis co-owner, baker Eric Jegat, moved from Monterey, Calif., to Cottage Grove in January after visiting and falling in love with the quaint town. With its rolling hills and yearlong green scenery, Cottage Grove reminded Jegat of France. In Monterey, Jegat, who had a bakery with his brother in Paris before moving to the U.S., opened the award-winning Paris Bakery and ran it for 20 years.

Rosenberger was advised to open the bakery in Eugene, especially because many people told her Cottage Grove wouldn't be able to support the business. But both had their hearts set on opening their bakery there anyway. "We felt good about this little town," says Rosenberger.

After Fleur de Lis opened, any doubts that Cottage Grove couldn't support the bakery were put to rest. The first few days, they had lines outside the door and had to shut down early because they'd sold out of everything. It's stayed busy ever since, attracting not just customers from Cottage Grove but Eugene as well. Rosenberger says, "We can't believe how busy we are every day."

The cheery, softly lit bakery is decorated with tall wood tables, fleur-de-lis and a mural of Notre Dame cathedral. It offers a wide array of pastries, from croissants — including their famous almond croissant sprinkled with shaved almonds and with a marzipan center — to fancy cakes. They serve lunch items like French soups, quiche, salads and sandwiches as well. - Written by Inka Bajandas

Eric Jegat & Maureen Rosenberger
address |
616 Main Street
Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424
phone |
541-767-0700
hours |
Tuesday-Saturday
7:00am to 3:00pm

Closed Sunday & Monday