French bakery called My Boulánge to open in downtown Columbus

Downtown Columbus is about to get a French bakery — with a real French chef.

Mary Brown and her husband, Dan Zavada, have leased 111 12th Street and plan to open My Boulánge by early October. They have hired Bruno Rizzo, who they met on the island of St. Maarten. Rizzo owned and operated the popular New Orleans French bakery Le Boulangerie before selling his share of the business after Hurricane Katrina.

Brown and Zavada were visiting St. Maarten earlier this year when they started a conversation with Rizzo, who was working as a chef there. Zavada and Rizzo knew each other and had previously talked about opening a restaurant in Florida. The three began talking about opening a cafe and bakery back in the states.

“We looked at Newnan,” said Brown, who lives there. “We didn’t think there was enough foot traffic there.”

They turned their attention to Columbus, her hometown. Brown had been spending more time in Columbus with her mother when a revitalized downtown storefront became a viable option for their venture.

“We have been here some and started going to Uptown Market Days and found Columbus is nothing like it was,” Brown said.

They settled on a building renovated and owned by Columbus developer John Teeples, who is a partner in Iron Bank Coffee a couple of blocks to the northwest.

“We don’t have a bakery, and that is what they are trying to do,” Teeples said. “It is a little similar to what we are doing at the coffee shop, but I think there is plenty enough room in downtown for a bakery and coffee shop.”

Brown said the menu will feature fresh French bread and pastries, as well as sandwiches and salads. There are also plans for wine, beer and cheese.

“It will be more of a cafe than a restaurant,” she said. “We are really excited about this and how it is all coming together.”

This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 7:46 PM with the headline "French bakery called My Boulánge to open in downtown Columbus."