L'Appartement 4F
It seems like everyone tried their hand at baking during the pandemic, but few managed to turn that hobby into a business. Such is the case with Gautier and Ashley Coiffard of L'Appartement 4F, whose small dinner parties featuring homemade baked goods quickly became a Cobble Hill staple during the height of the pandemic. The duo transformed their apartment kitchen into a makeshift bakery, answering DM’s and queries for baked goods from across the city. Now, with their own brick + mortar location and signature goods like the Petite Croissant Cereal, they’re looking to the future. We sat down with Ashley to hear about what it took to pivot careers like this in the midst of the pandemic, and the behind-the-scenes work it takes to build a successful business through social media and community support.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU BOTH TO LAUNCH L'APPARTEMENT 4F?
Gautier grew up in the Alps in France and moved to New York City in 2012 and I grew up in Southampton, Long Island and moved to Manhattan in 2015. We met in 2016 in a wine bar in the Upper East Side and have been inseparable since.
We loved hosting parties in our little apartment in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn and we would bake everything from scratch. We would print menus and take the food very seriously. Our friends would always huddle around the snacks and Gautier would create cocktails with special names.
“Our passion for bringing people together and feeding them was the highlight of our week so it only made sense to make this a career.”
WHEN DID YOU KNOW THIS PASSION PROJECT COULD BECOME A FULL–TIME ENDEAVOR?
In March of 2021, we baked an astronomical amount and pushed ourselves and our oven to the limits. Our apartment had reached its limits in terms of what we could produce and our home had turned into a makeshift bakery. There was a freezer in our bedroom and we felt like something needed to change. We had an honest conversation with each other and decided that we need to either stop baking or make this a full–time endeavor.
“We quickly decided that this was our true passion and decided to really go for it.”
HOW QUICKLY DID YOU OUTGROW 4F?
“We started baking in June of 2020 and by April/March of 2021, we knew we needed to get out of our tiny kitchen and into a brick and mortar.”
COMMUNITY HAS BEEN A CORNERSTONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. WHAT DO YOU THINK RESONATED SO MUCH WITH PEOPLE?
“Community has played the biggest role in our journey.”
We started selling at such a pivotal time in the Pandemic where people were starting to feel a little safe to come out of their quarantine bubbles and were starved for human interaction. Travel bans were in place and New York is such a multicultural setting. Loved ones who couldn’t be close to their families were sending bread to people they missed, Pandemic brides were being sent croissants on the day their weddings were supposed to be on, and people were just gifting each other warm goods instead of physically meeting up. We also wrote personal notes with each gift and it just brought so many people together and we were the vessel for that. It was very special.
HOW DID SOCIAL MEDIA PLAY A ROLE IN CULTIVATING YOUR COMMUNITY?
When we first started our instagram, I just wanted a place to post without my friends and family having to see pictures of bread all day. It started as a journal to show off Gautier’s baking journey and within a few months, we were directly messaging with strangers and taking orders. I started to share little glimpses into our relationship with small antidotes from Gautier’s family and our love for each other.
“Food is so important to people and I think knowing who is physically making it and showing the human side behind it resonated with people.”
The DM’s were not only orders, but people connecting with us so by the time we wanted to open a physical space, we were all really invested.
WALK US THROUGH YOUR DIVISION OF LABOR. ARE YOU BOTH BAKING OR DO YOU SPLIT UP THE DUTIES OUTSIDE OF THE KITCHEN?
“Gautier is the baker and created all of our original recipes. Luckily, I got to taste them all and “approve” them for the menu.”
I was responsible for taking content and posting and taking all of the orders. I would help him bake but I was never that good at it. He could always tell if I didn’t add an ingredient right away. We split the duties but we really trust each other with what we are responsible for.
WHAT WAS THE BRAINCHILD BEHIND YOUR FAMOUS CROISSANT CEREAL? DID YOU KNOW IT WOULD BECOME AS POPULAR AS IT DID?
“I had the idea to make our Petite Croissant Cereal and had to really convince Gautier to try and make it work.”
I did not realize how labor intensive it was and how long it would take to make one box. We thought only a few boxes would sell on our kickstarter but it quickly went viral. No one knew how popular it would be when we created it, including us.
YOU NOW HAVE A STOREFRONT AND ARE PLANNING SPACE NO. 2. HOW DO YOU SEE THE BAKERY'S EVOLUTION IN THE NEXT 5-10 YEARS?
We want to take things very slowly and try to make decisions that feel very organic to who we are.
“We always check in with each other to make sure we are staying true to our ethos and why we started this bakery in the first place.”
If having two bakeries is the way to do that, we are very grateful for that opportunity. If we could spread the happiness that our little bakery has brought to different parts of the country, we would love to do that but we are trying to not get too ahead of ourselves.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ITEM ON THE MENU RIGHT NOW?
“My favorite item on the menu is our sourdough baguette.”
I love adding a little (a lot) of butter and can eat them with every meal. Gautier’s favorite item remains le framboise croissant. It’s sweet and tart.
YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT PUTTING OFF YOUR WEDDING TO FINANCE YOUR FIRST STOREFRONT. WHEN DID YOU FINALLY TIE THE KNOT?
We got engaged in 2019 and planned on getting married in 2020 in the South of France. Then COVID hit and changed our plans very quickly. We postponed our wedding twice but during that time, we started this business and the wedding was put on the back burner.
“We finally had our French wedding in August of 2022 and it was everything we could have asked for.”
The guests were a mix of family and old friends with people we met through the bakery.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU BOTH?
We are currently working on opening a wine bar in the bakery a few nights a week. We miss those little parties we used to have and want to recreate that feeling of a soirée where it is food and wine focused.
© Photo Credit via de L’Appartament 4F