Christian Lucas jokes that when he came to America from France 15 years ago, he had only $50 in his pocket. Whatever the amount, this adventurer and explorer who has a tremendous zest for life turned the little he had into something big.

After years of trying to make his dreams come true, he eventually managed to open his own bakery in 1993 called La Belle Vie French Bakery, bringing the delicious breads and pastries of France to our community.

“Since I was 16 years old I have been in this line of business. I have done this for the most part of my life,” Lucas said. “So when the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance of opening my own bakery.”

His sense of humor and delightful charisma bring a whole new dimension to his bakery that his customers seem to love. Although he is busy baking in the kitchen, he always has time to talk with his customers, making their visit even more enjoyable.

Lucas said that everything is freshly hand-made from scratch and that he uses only the finest ingredients.

“I put a great deal of time and effort into making the breads and the pastries, making sure that each has their distinct taste and flavor,” Lucas said.

Some of the delicacies that you can sample at La Belle Vie French Bakery are: various types of European breads, including baguette, api, scones; tarts such as fruit, apple, almond, linzar; cakes including chocolate mousse, strawberry shortcake, fruit, apple turnover, and cookies such as sugar, chocolate chip, meringue and rainbow.

Blanca Gonzalez, one of Lucas’ employees, said that what is most popular among the customers are the croissants.

“We have plain croissants, chocolate croissants, guava croissants; the customers just go crazy over these. We also have sandwiches, muffins and cappuccino, a favorite for those people on the go,” Gonzalez said.

“I really enjoy what it is that I do. I am always delighted to make my pastries and breads for people’s enjoyment,” Lucas said.

Just about everyone stops by Lucas’ bakery, knowing that they can always get what it is that they are looking for.

“We have many French people, German people and Spanish people that come in the bakery on a daily basis; everyone loves Lucas’ inventions,” Gonzalez said.

Getting that personalized service that each customer craves is not a problem. Lucas assures his customers that the moment they walk through his doors, they will be attended to right away. Customers can even call in to order a cake, a pastry for pick-up beforehand, saving themselves precious time.

La Belle Vie French Bakery is located at 7370 Red Rd. Bakery hours are Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Call 305-665-6631 for more information.