The Bautier store was never ‘just a store’. Already a few months after launching, back in May 2013, Marina started inviting people over for the monthly Vendredi lunches, and her continuous yearning to create a hospitable and welcoming environment is now becoming a permanent reality with the opening of Café Bautier, on September 22nd.
The Vendredi lunch was an event for people to meet and obviously, have lunch, the food part being of great importance to Marina, as she was the one preparing and cooking everything herself. Exploring recipes and creating her own seems to be an ongoing hobby of hers, an effortless occupation that just weaves naturally into her everyday as a designer and a family mother. Good food is therefore also at the centre of attention for the café, with Marina still behind the menus, testing and tasting what to propose in this new setting.
People passing by the Bautier store might have noticed the café corner which has been installed for more than a year now. Realising the café idea and concept has happened gradually, firstly by designing and constructing the interior, then, along the way, reflecting on what kind of refreshments to put on offer and just how to run it on a daily basis. During the summer of 2021, Marina met William, a fitting match for the type of café she had in mind: a calm and cosy space, run by one person preparing food and drinks whilst taking good care of the clientele. William used to work with organic produce as well as bartending, thus the stars had aligned for an upcoming opening.
Café Bautier suggests a simple menu, in line with the general spirit of the Bautier design products and store; English scones for breakfast, linking back to the time Marina used to study in London, focaccia sandwiches for lunch with various and changing fillings, and throughout the day, cakes of different kinds. Ingredients are all locally sourced, in season and mainly organic. Without being strictly vegetarian, for the sandwiches clients can expect a rich variation of fresh vegetable combinations. Tea, coffee and cold drinks are served throughout the day.
Bautier is more than pleased to welcome locals from the area and store customers to enjoy a bite and pass a relaxed time in this new corner café. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, a basic meal for kids is also on offer, making it a treat for the whole family. Conviviality and the plain happiness of sharing a tasty refreshment has been visualised in the café’s logo, drawn by illustrator, Gianluca Cannizzo. Based in one of the Italian epicentres of prime food and wine, Torino, Gianluca creates illustrations for this particular industry, sharing his humoristic style and excitement for especially the wine part.
Café Bautier will be open from Wednesdays to Saturdays, 10am to 4.30pm. We hope to see you already next week, come meet Marina, William and the rest of the Bautier team.