Patisserie Lebeau

"We once had an email from a customer that bought one of our waffles," says Olivier Lebeau, co-owner with his wife, Penny, of Pâtisserie Lebeau. "He was dissatisfied because he said the sugar had not been mixed evenly into the waffle dough. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that this is a special sugar, Belgian pearl sugar, that is intended to stay crisp and crunchy on the waffle." Educating customers about the making of waffles is all part of the job for Olivier and Penny.

"We make our waffles and pastries from scratch with local ingredients. There are no additives, no excessive sodium, and we use only whole, natural food." If you think that a waffle with toppings is a freshly made waffle, Olivier would urge you to think again. "Many stores and restaurants buy waffles, cover them with fruit and call them fresh. We make the waffle from the very beginning and infuse the fruit or savoury ingredients right into the waffle."

But Pâtisserie Lebeau is more than just waffles. "We do every variety of waffle that you can get in Belgium," says Olivier, "but we also do pastries, baguettes, bread and croissants. All freshly made from wholesome ingredients."