An artist and a baker

He is first an artist, then a baker. This is what Bruno, the man who plies students and passers-by alike with his pastries and tarts from his boulangerie on rue St.Jacques in the sixth arrondissement tells me. For the first month while making my way to my French class, I would quickly slip in and buy a little something from his abundant and delightful pastries. He experiments well with his fillings, a simple croissant becomes a nut and fruit, or pear-filled, or cheese and nut. His muffins are on one day olive and bacon, on another spinach and cheese; not to mention his tarts - which were also my staple until I decided it may be best to admire Bruno's work from afar.

The pastry-making is his work; his passion is his art. The first thing that draws you inside his tiny boulangerie is the window display of pastry goodies; upon entering you completely forget the reason you were there as you find yourself in a room that could well pass as an artist's studio, amongst the pastries and tarts. He's a sculptor who produces a menagerie of farm animals, realistic-looking mouldings of bread and fruit, and a variety of flora that adorns the walls. This past week, he had put up a nativity scene, very detailed and quiet charming.
I pass by every day, on some days for a pastry - but on others just to see what new artwork he has produced. He's a cheerful and friendly host - always.
His is one of those odd places one tends to stumble upon in this at-times-too-glamorous city - these are the discoveries that add the grit to the glitz that can be Paris.

A blurry image of the man behind the artwork