Having become a staple in South Philadelphia over the last two decades and known for its French pastries, baguettes, and small menu of breakfast sandwiches and banh mi, the second location of Artisan Boulanger Patissier made its downtown Media debut in early 2022.
Run by husband and wife team, Troy and Mui Eap, the authentic bakery is a must-visit for mouthwatering baked goods and desserts.
Troy’s family has a long history in the baking industry. His brother-in-law, the French-trained confectioner behind the original Philadelphia-based Artisan Boulanger Patissier, and his father, who worked in a donut factory in York, PA in the 70’s eventually opened a local Philadelphia donut shop, starting the now family-wide baking tradition.
In his interview, Troy chuckled as he admitted he once swore he would never get into baking as a career. The early mornings of helping in the family business before school had convinced him that another career would be a better fit.
On his quest to become anything-but-a-baker, Troy attended DCCC and West Chester University, with plans of becoming a math teacher. While in school, he and his wife recall often venturing into Media for dates. They have fond memories of romantic evenings at Dining Under the Stars and beautiful meals at many of the local Media restaurants. They both fell in love with the town.
Troy realized that teaching was not his calling, and he and his wife returned to what was most familiar– the food industry.
In 2015, Troy and Mui opened a restaurant in Philadelphia, but they both dreamed of coming back to Media.
In 2021, that dream became a reality when they leased their now State Street location.
After nearly a year of preparations, the doors of the Media Artisan Boulanger Patissier finally opened. Troy and Mui have made this artisan shop their own. Their skill, high standards, passion, and creativity – and the impeccable baked goods– make a great addition to the already-impressive Media food scene.
“I actually love doing it, except for waking up early.” Troy smiles in the interview. “We put out a product and people love it. We have such pride in what we create. That makes the lack of sleep go away.”
Mui chimes in, “We love to make new things. We love a challenge. We’re always looking for ways to make something that’s already really good even better. It’s so rewarding to see our customers…It makes us want to make more things and come up with new items for them to try and enjoy.”
They both speak fondly of Media, crediting the local community for supporting them at a time when the future of the new shop was uncertain. After a family tragedy caused the shop to unexpectedly close for 4 months, members of the community left messages and taped notes to the door wishing them well and hoping they would open again soon. “At that moment, we knew there was no way we were going to let this shop close,” said Troy.
In fact, Troy and Mui were so moved by the showing of local support, they saved those anonymous notes. You can find them still hanging on a bulletin board in the shop even now!
Before the end of the interview, the shop owners shared that there is a name change in the bakery’s future. The current name is fitting– Boulangier is more than just a name for an authentic French bakery. In Paris, shops bestowed the distinction of boulangier must bake their confections on-site in order to hold the title, differentiating them from regular pastry shops. This same distinction is easily held by Troy and Mui, as they are committed to the on-site creation of all of the baked goods the shop sells.
You don’t want to miss out on the authentic baked goods and welcoming environment they’ve created with their hard work, dedication, and warm spirits.
The little French bakery at 27 West State Street is sure to be a long-time part of the growing list of downtown Media businesses we all love.
“We love to make new things. We love a challenge. We’re always looking for ways to make something that’s already really good even better."
