Michette restaurant will be participating in the 13th annual Foodie Crawl on Tuesday, September 17. — Photos courtesy of Michette

By Harry Kane

In the spirit of friendship, teamwork and mutual support among local restaurants in East Somerville, an annual fundraising event hopes to build camaraderie among businesses and bring new patrons to their establishments. 

Foodie Crawl is East Somerville’s tour du jour of ethnic eateries that gives folks an opportunity to find a new favorite restaurant and taste all that the neighborhood has to offer.

“Our extremely generous restaurant owners donate all of the food and create delicious dishes to make the night a true success,” said Lindsay Allen, executive director of East Somerville Main Streets.

East Somerville Main Streets is a non-profit organization that aims to promote a vibrant and diverse commercial district by assisting local businesses and celebrating cultural heritage through community programs.

“With the purchase of a ticket, participants embark on a culinary journey around the world,” Allen added. “We will highlight tastes from El Salvador, Brazil, Italy, France, Mexico, Haiti and more!”

Michette is one of the restaurants participating in the 13th annual Foodie Crawl on September 17, and like last year, the hope is to spread the word about the pastries, bread and good vibes.

The artisanal French bakery, located at 164 Broadway, offers baguettes, vanilla cream briouche, banana bread, almond croissants, canelés and so much more.

“We are a French bakery, but we are trying to bring out some fun and exciting flavors,” said Thomas Ferté, 34, owner of the bakery.

It’s a little out of the ordinary from a traditional French bakery, Ferté says, but there’s a range of products that you’d expect to find at a bakery in France.

He describes the menu as, “French with a twist.”

One popular pastry is the almond croissant – a flaky, twice baked croissant filled with a homemade frangipane cream and topped with perfectly toasted almond slivers. This costs $5.25.

Michette sells a cannelé for just $3, which is a traditional French pastry from Bordeaux. It has a crispy caramelized exterior and soft, custardy center infused with the flavors of vanilla and rum.

The breakfast focaccia is delicious, too! It is a bubbly focaccia loaded with egg, bacon, bechamel sauce, caramelized onions and gruyère cheese. That is $6.50.

There are so many more delicious pastries and they offer specials on weekends.

Ferté is from a small village of 200 people called Vignely, about an hour east of Paris.

“We had this great bakery where I grew up, and I think that’s where I really got my inspiration for the passion for bread and baking,” Ferté recalls.

The name of the bakery was called, Au Blé d’Or, which translates to The Golden Wheat.

Ferté doesn’t believe the bakery is there anymore, but still remembers it fondly.

Michette opened on June 9 of 2023.

When the bakery opened, business was a little slow. There was no marketing budget. Now, with word of mouth, business is good.

They provide catering for events like weddings, as well.

The name of the bakery is based on La miche, which means the round loaf.

“It is a very traditional, round-type of bread,” he explained. “I think the Michette name came, maybe as a pun, because of the size of the bakery. It’s so small here… It just seemed like a good name for what we do, and the size of our little bakery.”

Ferté hopes the good vibes and good eats at his bakery will benefit the community and build camaraderie in the neighborhood.

“We have people who have been here for generations, but also some that just arrived a few months ago,” he said. “Everybody is bonding together. It’s very special.”

Along with Michette, the restaurants participating in Foodie Crawl 2024 are: Lotus Xpress, La Cosecha, Sisters Caribbean, Rei Da Picanha, Rincón Mexicano, Taqueria Montecristo, Gauchao Brazilian Cuisine, Vinny’s Ristorante, Los Paisanos, El Jalisco, Casey’s, La Brasa, Joe’s Liquors (21+ wine tasting).