Napoleon Bakery is coming back

By OWEN MORRIS

Driving through Westport yesterday, I noticed a lot of construction going on in the space that was previously Napoleon Bakery on the western end of Westport Road near PotPie and Bluestem. So I stopped in to see who was making all the ruckus.

Turns out, its new owner, James Holmes (he’s the man near the back in the above picture), is in the final stages of updating the space before opening in the very near future. Holmes was a pastry chef with Westin Hotels before opening the catering company Art of Pastry on 29th Street and Holly, which he still owns but is moving to the sizable back area of Napoleon and consolidating under the Napoleon name.

Holmes says he had been looking for a retail front for some time, and that’s how he came upon Napoleon. “Originally, I was going to go into the old Starbucks on Broadway, but it was completely empty. They [Starbucks] had left nothing, and it was going to take too long … that’s when I looked at the Napoleon’s spot and made a deal with the former owners for the name.”

Holmes says he plans to make few changes to the menu and will be serving the same classic food that Napoleon Bakery had offered in the past, even including some of the same recipes, which he received from former owner, Jerry Schanzer, along with Schanzer’s blessing, “He [Schanzer] has been by a few times to see the place and can’t wait to eat here,” Holmes said.

Holmes had originally planned to open November 8 but conceded that was not going to happen. “Right now, I’m looking at a soft opening early next week. I definitely want to be open in plenty of time to get that holiday pie business. I’ve got great pecan pies.”