Aurore French Bakery: Bozeman’s little piece of France

From selling houses to baking traditional french pastries, Aurore Adams, born and raised in France, has turned 180 degrees and switched professions to start a life here in Bozeman.

It all started in 2020 when Adams came out to visit her twin sister in Bozeman to celebrate her birthday. She only planned to stay for a visit, but the pandemic had other plans in store for her. “They closed the border three days after I landed,” Adams said.

Like others, Adams adopted a new hobby of baking during quarantine to pass time, she said.

“During this time I was kind of like everyone in their kitchens during COVID-19, baking stuff that you never thought of before,” she said.

Not only did Adams find a love for baking but also for the city of Bozeman. “The best part about baking is when you make other people happy,” Adams said.

Adams knew she wanted to make the move but soon found out that she could not continue her previous job as a real estate agent. “My immigration attorney told me that it's one of the exceptions that you can’t be a real estate agent when you are not American,” she said.

After realizing she had to switch careers, Adams got to thinking. “I was like, ‘I'm French,’ so I can play the card of champagne or wine but I’m not drinking a lot. Then there's cheese, but in the U.S. there is good cheese and I’m not a farmer, so no way I’m doing that. So I was like, ‘ok, baking’.”

Once Adams made up her mind after discussing her possibilities with her attorney, she hung up and said to herself, “Ok, I'm opening a bakery,” she said. After making a decision that would change her life forever, Adams went back to France to let her real estate clients know and refer them to her friend. While she was back, Adams went to baking school and trained in multiple bakeries to learn different techniques in the baking world, she said.

The next goal after acquiring the necessary skills was getting her visa so she could make the move official. After a long year of waiting, she finally got her visa in March of 2022 and was able to call Bozeman her home.

After spending a year baking from her apartment and using her social media platform to gain support and followers from the community, Adams finally found a storefront of her own.

Located on 141 W Baxter Lane, near Four Corners, is Aurore French Bakery. Adams is in the works of getting everything set up and plans to open in late April to early May she said but that is subject to change.

The bakery will have French decorations and music to make the customer feel as if they just teleported to Paris. Adams will also speak in French with her coworkers in the kitchen as well as speak in French with her customers who wish to.

Adams’ bakery will offer authentic French pastries that are baked the French way. “Everything is in grams and everything is in degrees Celsius,” Adams said. Not only is Adams using French recipes, but she is also importing her baking equipment, butter and flour from France. To some, flour and butter may not mean much, but if you’ve ever been to France you know their croissants are top notch and don’t begin to compare to most croissants offered here.

“In a croissant, for example, the main ingredients are flour and butter. If you take one croissant made with French butter and flour and one with American, you will have the same aspect but the taste will never be the same,” Adams said.

Some of the treats that Adams will be selling are French baguettes, bread, baguette sandwiches, signature pépite, croissants, cakes and other mouth-watering goodies, she said.

Adams will also host events in her bakery, like baking classes and movie nights once a month, she said. Movie night will consist of a French movie with English subtitles, pastries and champagne.

“Food is a part of life and when you eat good food and you share that with people and they like what you are making [it’s] the best reward.”

If you're eager to get your hands on one of these pastries you can order through Adams’ Instagram or website.

Instagram: aurorefrenchbakery

Website: aurorebakery.com