Farmingdale Gets Bakery As Le Petit Café Completes Re-brand

FARMINGDALE, NY — Farmingdale's bustling Main Street has its long-awaited bakery. However, it didn't come in the form of a new business but rather a re-branded one, as Thyme On Your Side is now Le Petit Café.

Everything from the former iteration of the 314 Main St. eatery is intact: Kristina Grimes, a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, is still at the helm. The artisan breakfast and lunch menu is largely the same, as egg sandwiches, soups, salads, paninis, and other brunch fare is still available. Now, the café will additionally offer a plethora of baked goods such as banana bread, empanadas, pot pies, cookies, pound cakes, French macaroons (when in season), tiramisu, cannolis, pies and cheesecakes. The only major deviation from a pure bakery is wedding cakes and other large special-occasion cakes aren't available.

Under the old name, potential customers would get confused by the word "thyme," Grimes said. Having planned to add more pastries and baked goods, Grimes opted to make the name change and re-brand her shop.

"Le Petit Café seemed a little more user-friendly," she told Patch. "Everybody knows what a cafe is."

The name change became official just prior to the coronavirus outbreak ramped up. While the timing wasn't the best, Grimes said the transition was underway and wanted to follow through at that point. After all, everyone in town had been clamoring for a bakery, Farmingdale Village Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said in a recent letter to the community.

"While we are sorry about the timing of the cafe re-launch, we are happy to announce this wonderful café!," Ekstrand wrote. "Le Petit Café has an amazing array of all natural, delectable food items."

In addition to disrupting the shop's re-brand, the coronavirus gave Grimes concern that Le Petit Café might not make it through the outbreak. But it didn't take long for her confidence to grow, as regulars continued to show up in droves.

"Our regular customers are amazing," Grimes said. "People who have been coming here almost daily just so that we stay in business. That’s the kind of place that we have. We love our customers."

Erin Russo, the manager, said she gets teary-eyed thinking about the loyalty customers have shown the café.

"They used to be here every Sunday for breakfast or every Tuesday for lunch," she said. "Now, they’re so determined to keep [Grimes] in business that they literally come every day. We have customers who come in and want to buy everything."

Grimes said the re-brand was motivated by her friends and fellow business owners across the street: Joe Fortuna and Eric LeVine. Fortuna owns The Nutty Irishman and 317 Main Street. LeVine, a fellow Culinary Institute of America graduate, is the latter's executive chef.

"[They] were thinking the town needed a bakery and said, ‘You should try it,'" Grimes recalled.

The idea had been in the works since the new year began. Grimes is very excited to fill the role of a Main Street bakery, she said.

The café is French-inspired, as French pastries are what Grimes learned in culinary school. That worked out, as Russo felt the vibe of a French-inspired bakery meshes well with Farmingdale Village.

"When we were talking about it originally, we felt like it fit the little quaint Main Street," Russo said.

Traditionally, the eatery is open for breakfast and lunch hours. However, there may be plans for the café to stay open later. That could hinge on the size of the staff, as everything at Le Petit Café is made from scratch — just as it was at Thyme On Your Side — Grimes said. She's very particular about who she lets work in her kitchen, she added.

"If I don’t make it from scratch, it is sourced locally or from small companies around the country," she said. "I make sure that I taste everything. I want to always have that consistency for my customers."

The café partners with local vendors to bring certain items or ingredients to the menu. Coffee comes from Farmingdale-based Georgio's Coffee Roasters, tea is brought in from Manhasset's SerendipiTea, Islip-based Wally's Spotted Dog Organics offers salad dressings, marinades and dry rubs, and certain ingredients come in from Laurel's Butter in Bohemia.

Le Petit Café can be reached for takeout, curbside pick-up or delivery at 516-465-9660 or 516-927-8060.

Photos