Are there any French bakeries in the Los Angeles area?

Question

I'm doing a school presentation on Croquembouche (traditional french wedding cream puffs stacked into a cone shape). I would like to bring one in as a sample for everyone to see and try. Does anyone know of a place I can buy one and that isn't too expensive? My class is at 2pm and I have a class before that which ends at noon, so I need to pick it up between those hours. I'm afraid of it spoiling or the caramel melting if I get it in the morning, as I don't have refrigeration at school. I go to school in Northridge, so I prefer the bakery to be close by there.

If there's nowhere close by I can get it, I was thinking of maybe going to Costco the day before and buying cream puffs and maybe making the caramel glaze from scratch and dipping the cream puffs in them and letting the glaze harden. Instead of stacking it into a cone shape, I could leave them individual and just pack them in ice in an ice chest. Do you guys think that could work?

Answer 1

Maison Richard has them, but they're not cheap at $6/each.

There are a number of other French bakeries in the Los Angeles area (such as Blé D'or in Culver City, Champagne French Bakery in multiple locations, Normandie French Bakery in Los Angeles, Village French Bakery in Glendale or Aux Delices in Pasadena), but Croquembouche does not seem to be a menu item at most of them, probably because not enough people know about them to create a demand.  None of the bakeries is very close to Northridge or even in the San Fernando Valley.

My own favorite bakery is Euro Pane in Pasadena.  I don't think that Corquembouche are on the menu, but Sumi Chang (the owner/baker) might be intrigued enough to whip up a batch for you.

As for your idea with the Costco cream puffs, it depends on your intentions.  If you intention is to give your class a vague idea of what a croquembouche is like, you'll succeed there, even though it would only be a pale imitation of something made in the traditional French manner.  On the other hand, it might backfire on you if your instructor is a Francophile and is familiar with the real thing.

Good luck in your class!