Verzênay Bakery Café: Icing on the Cake
Farmers Market Pastry Fave Opens First Brick and Mortar Wednesday
In This Issue
• Verzênay Bakery Café: Icing on the Cake
• Regenerate Illinois Webinar Tuesday on Carbon Markets and Farmers
This Charming Taste of Paris Opens Wednesday
When it comes to French pastry and bread baking, Arshiya Farheen is très authentique. Arshiya moved from Chicago to Paris in 2013 and graduated from the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts, refining her craft at a bakery and hotel there.
Then she returned here, and in 2014, she and husband Aqeel Wahiduddin started Verzênay Patisserie. And after building a following as a fixture at Green City Market in Lincoln Park, the couple on Wednesday is officially opening its first brick-and-mortar bakery-coffee house-restaurant about a mile away, at 2507 N. Lincoln Ave.
I became familiar with Verzênay as a regular at the farmers market — where they source ingredients from fellow vendors — and also through my time at FamilyFarmed, as the company participated in our Good Food Accelerator program. I am happy to vouch for the deliciousness of their products.
I made a soft-opening visit on Sunday and found their shop charming. Formerly a sushi restaurant with a brick facade, the exterior of the bakery has been transformed with quaint Parisian charm (and includes an outdoor patio for you boulevardiers). Big windows provide lots of light to the handful of tables inside.
Aqeel explained that decor is a work in progress, with atmospheric photos of Paris and Chicago to be added to the walls. While the menu will be expanded to hot foods, Verzênay is facing the same challenges as many restaurants in filling kitchen positions post-pandemic, though seeing their egg salad sandwich made me wish I hadn’t eaten a big brunch before I visited.
In any case, the star of a French patisserie must be the pastry cases. This is a case in which a picture is worth 1,000 words.
Local Food Forum wishes Verzênay bonne chance.
Don’t Miss ReGenerate IL’s Free Webinar Tuesday
Topic: Carbon Markets for Regenerative Ag
Local Food Forum and the ReGenerate Illinois Network invite you to join in a free webinar Tuesday (July 27) from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The topic is Carbon Markets for Regenerative Ag. The featured speakers are Sam Schiller from Carbon Yield, which helps farmers get paid to restore their soil and institute a healthy, profitable growing system, and Harry Carr, whose Mint Creek Farm (founded in 1992) is a central Illinois pioneer in organic, pasture-raised livestock production. Sam and Harry will be discussing how carbon markets are set up, the current status of carbon markets, and the role of regenerative agriculture in carbon markets.
This webinar kicks off the three-part Summer 2021 Series of online programming, with subsequent events on August 10 and August 24 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. The series focuses on Regenerative Agriculture and the developing carbon market, funding, and policy opportunities.
The sessions will feature farmers and topic experts sharing their experience and perspectives from the leading edge and will feature Q&A, discussion and a networking happy hour. These three virtual conversations will provide opportunities for learning, collective input and creating new relationships.
Click the buttons below to register and learn more about ReGenerate Illinois.