Old World Pastries and More from The Bekery

Nestled within Walnut Grove in Lake Charles is The Bekery, a unique bakery that offers nuanced and deftly prepared pastries, sandwiches and coffee. The aroma of baked goods with European culinary influences will greet you when you enter the eatery. The Bekery owner Rebekah Hoffpauir planned it that way.

She opened the Lake City business in 2016. Today, it is a spot where high school and college students, wives and husbands, business owners and the who’s-who gather.

Foodies who are drawn to croissants have a nice list of offerings: butter croissants, chocolate croissants, kouign amanns, bear claws, almond croissants, chocolate almond croissants and ham and cheese, to name a few.

The pastry list includes buttermilk biscuits, blueberry biscuits, lemon scones, cinnamon rolls, pecan sticky buns, salted pretzels, cinnamon pretzels and bacon cheddar scones.

A passion for baking is what led Hoffpauir to open the business. She hired Chef Octavio Ycaza in 2024. The 46-year-old Ecuadorian and Paris-trained kitchen wizard is excited about The Bekery’s future.

“This is a cool culinary platform that I stepped into too. It has a captive audience,” Ycaza said. “We bring the best of technique and flavor.”

Aside from croissants and pastries, The Bekery’s menu surprises with an adventurous selection of sandwiches, quiche and coffee. Ycaza recommends the croque monsieur sandwich, which is honey ham, Swiss cheese, Creole aioli on garlic butter grilled brioche and topped with tomato and rosemary béchamel.

Two other customer favorites are the Cuban and the chicken salad croissant. The Cuban is mojo-marinated pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, mayo and pickles placed between two pieces of crispy ciabatta.

Chicken salad is a long-standing Bekery special. It is made with chicken, pecans, grapes, celery and onion.

Coffee lovers are offered coffee roasted specifically for The Bekery. “A guy in Sulphur — who used to work at a local coffee shop — takes care of us. Our coffee is a special blend that can be found only at The Bekery,”  Ycaza said.

Staff prepare cafe au lait, espresso, Americano, French press, cortado, cappuccino, and lattes to order. When the seasons change, The Bekery staff showcases coffee specials also.

Bread lovers will be pleased to know they can purchase different house-made loaves of bread like baguette, seeded baguette, focaccia, country sourdough, ciabatta, and olive and rosemary ciabatta.

“We do cool stuff here,” Ycaza said. “We aren’t just a bakery. We aren’t just a pastry spot. We do coffee and meet the interests of many people in Lake Charles.”

Try This

1 | Salmon Toast

Flavor with a few bells and whistles … herbed cream cheese, shaved shallots, caper berries, smoked salmon and microgreen salad on toasted sourdough.

2 | Grilled Cheese

This sandwich fulfills the cheese urge of current children and those of us who sort of grew up. Provolone, Swiss, and white cheddar are melded with caramelized red onion and toasted on house-made focaccia.

3 | Chicken Cobb Salad

Sometimes, all a person needs is a refreshing salad that hits the proverbial spot. This salad has it all: chicken, bacon crumble, egg, cheddar, tomatoes, avocado and romaine spring mix.

The Bekery
2040 E. Walnut St., Lake Charles
@thebekeryllc
337-761-4777