La Pâtisserie Francaise Bel Air Ltée

Originally from Brittany, France, André Derrien was formerly a chef at the renowned La Mère Poulard restaurant in Mont St-Michel, Normandy. In the early 1950s, he decided to come to Quebec. He worked at the Saint-Jovite hotel, where his rare skill in keeping all 10 fingers intact made him stand out from the rest and caught the eye of his future wife. "I learned on the job, while helping my parents on weekends and during Easter and Christmas.”

The couple then moved to Baie-Comeau, where they worked hard to build up a little capital before buying a pastry shop in Bel-Air in 1959. André, whose expertise lay in kitchen baking, hired professionals who, although reluctant to share their knowledge, could not prevent him from watching them work and learning the tools of the trade.

But despite all their efforts, the Derriens had difficulty restoring the establishment's reputation. A major change was needed. They moved the pastry shop to a basement at 4038 Bel-Air. Success at last! In the first year, turnover doubled and the location quickly became overcrowded. André purchased land at the corner of Bélanger and 20th Avenue to build what is now Pâtisserie Bel-Air.