FAQ
Bao’s Pastry is an Authentic French Pastry & Bakery Boutique. This is what sets us apart from other typical American bakeries. We only sell artisanal, handcrafted, French Pastries Bakeries and Savories, all of which are Freshly baked every day! We are very honored, and feel so privileged, to bring “A nice Taste of Paris in Every Bite” here in Valparaiso!
We are open 7 days a week:
- Sun-Mon: 12:00PM – 5:00 PM
- Tues-Sat: 7:00AM to 7:00PM
Please note that our hours may slightly vary depending on the season, and/or the weather. You can check on our website, on our social media, or call us before you visit.
Yes absolutely! Bao’s Pastry is family owned and operated by Bao & Hà. We both used to live in France. In early 2018, when we chose to give up our comfortable lives in Paris and moved to the USA, here in Valparaiso. Bao is 100% French trained and experienced Pastry Chef! She graduated from Paris Auguste Escoffier School in 2016 and she chose to bring her incredible talents to the gorgeous city of Valparaiso, Indiana and surroundings.
Yes indeed! Bao’s Pastry does offer several gluten free options. Our French Macarons are made of Almond Flour (GF), as well as many other pastries we bake: Madeleines Pastries, several of our Mousse Cakes, Coconut Macaroons, and much more. When you come to visit us, please feel free to ask our employees since there are always a lot of different GF choices, available every day!
We are a retail shop serving high delicacies, so it would be best to come in-person to our Pastry Boutique in downtown Valparaiso to see what is currently available for the day.
We do offer multiple options for placing orders online. You can view our menus online and when you decide you can order.
- Order through Grubhub
- Give us a call at 219-299-8693 to know what is available and order.
- Send us an email to ask questions, inquire or find out available pastries.
Of course! Bao’s Pastry is happy to take custom cake orders for any occasion. Weddings, Birthdays, First Communions, Graduations, Private Parties and many more!
Please keep in mind that we are not an American Style Bakery. All custom orders will be baked in a refined and elegant French Pastry Style.
The new location, Victorian-Style iconic White House on Lincolnway, has been in the air for a long time now. Today, it is still under re-construction and remodeling. It has been a complicated project because it is part of the Valparaiso “protected” Downtown Historic District and a very respected 131 year old building.
Due to unexpected challenges, the new location opening has been much slower than initially projected. We do hope to complete this location by the end of 2024.
Until then, you can find us on 12 Jefferson Street. See you there soon and stay tuned future Location “Grand-Opening”.
Bao’s Pastry epic journey started when we moved to Valparaiso back in 2018. We began selling our pastries at local Farmer’s Market and baking custom order pastries, mostly for our neighbors and friends. In early 2020, thanks to our wonderful supporters, friends, and families, Back then, since we were non-US citizens (and still are), our access to commercial loans and business credits was complicated than expected. And of course, as you may all imagine, we now really need a lot of cashflow, to be able to remodel such an old (and TLC lacking…) mansion. Our business model is (of course) quite profitable, but for the first 5-6 years of operations (like for most startup businesses), a large portion of our net profit was immediately being re-invested into our Business Development & Growth.
Therefore, even if we are quite “bankable” (though we don’t like that word so much…), cashflow is (more than ever) the key word here ! And for that matter, we were very fortunate already, when, back in 2020, we had multiple people (from our wonderful Valparaiso Communities, or from further…) who trusted us right away, and invested with us, making it possible to open our very first “brick-and-mortar” Pastry Boutique, in May 2020. The rest has now become history, and we have been growing significantly ever since then, with increasing business valuation, and significant dividends re-invested, year after year!
Today, for that second location, our needs for investments are significantly higher, and we do warmly welcome all people who are interested in doing so with us! We do provide several interesting (and “solid”…) paths to on-board new Adventurers with us ! So, if you are interested: Please reach out to us (at Management.BaoPastry@outlook.
We believe there are many factors that contribute to the success of Bao’s Pastry. Family, good timing, wise choices, lots of hard work, and some self-sacrifice.
One reason we are where we are today is due to our wonderful staff. Our staff has been dedicated and committed to their work. They are so kind, and so dependable. We hired them, we trained them, and it was well worth every effort!
Our wonderful community, Valparaiso and surrounding areas, has also been part of Bao’s Pastry success story. We are so lucky to have found this “Vale of Paradise”, since we moved here from Paris, France!
Bao’s Pastry takes Food Safety and Hygiene very seriously. We have our Food Establishment Licenses and Food Handler Staff Certification. We have all state, county, and city requirements. We exceeded all local Food Hygiene codes, and passed all Food Safety Health inspections.
Our staff is trained thoroughly and regularly to make sure they implement all food hygiene precautions. Clean working environments, frequent hand washing and sanitizing, clean and proper working attire.
Bao’s Pastry cares deeply about the environment and believes in taking daily, simple actions to keep our world clean and safe. They focus on sourcing local products and ingredients through local businesses and use eco-friendly packaging materials like cardboard and paper instead of plastics. While they are a traditional French pastry shop that needs to import some key ingredients from France and Europe, they work with US partners to minimize their environmental impact. Bao’s Pastry is committed to leaving a clean and abundant world for future generations.