Fred’s Bread, popular at the Evanston Farmers’ Market for its French breads and pastries, will open its first storefront, Fred’s Bread Bakery & Café, late summer on Noyes Street.

Kate Bressand, who co-founded Fred’s Bread with her husband Frédéric Bressand, said opening a cafe is a dream the couple has had since they met about 16 years ago.

The pair moved to Evanston in 2016, running Fred’s Bread out of shared kitchens and selling products on Saturdays at the market ever since. Kate Bressand recalled there being a “buzz” about a physical location since their first weekend at the Farmers’ Market.

“Customers at the Farmers’ Market would ask ‘Oh, where’s your bakery?’ and then Frédéric would explain he works out of a shared kitchen,” she said. “But now we can finally answer that question.”

Fred’s Bread Bakery & Café will replace Good News Laundromat at 817 Noyes St. Though operations are underway, a concrete opening date has not yet been announced. Kate Bressand confirmed that “late summer” remains the goal.

Kate Bressand said the brick-and-mortar location will have an expanded menu serving breakfast, brunch and lunch. The pair also hopes to include dinner and apéro, the French equivalent of “happy hour,” offerings once they get settled. The dining room will have seating for 36 patrons, and store hours will be 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to start.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming all different kinds of people, families and students,” Kate Bressand said. “We want to make it a place for everybody.”

According to Katherine Horwitz Martinez, Evanston Farmers’ Market manager, the French bakery is one of the most popular vendors at the marketplace and has garnered loyal customers through their time there. The long line that forms each Saturday at Frédéric Bressand’s stand is a testament to the quality of his product, she said.

Still, the opening of Fred’s Bread Bakery & Café storefront elicits mixed feelings for Horwitz Martinez. She said she would never want Frédéric Bressand, or the customers his business attracts, to leave the market, but on the other hand finds it “heartwarming” to see that he is able to open a brick-and-mortar store at a time when it can be hard to do so.

Kate Bressand called the Farmers’ Market a “rich part of the Evanston community.” Fortunately for Horwitz Martinez and Farmers’ Market customers, Fred’s Bread will continue to operate at the Farmers’ Market, even once the storefront is opened. 

“It’s rare to see somebody who is so professional, reliable and kind. That combination is a lot more rare out there in the real world,” Horwitz Martinez said. “I just think that’s such a testament to how he has built on top of the quality of his product.”

Dennis Clarkson, owner of Gigio’s Pizzeria, feels similarly. Clarkson has gotten to know Frédéric Bressand over the last four years, as Fred’s Bread has used the basement space of Gigio’s Pizzeria as a shared kitchen. Clarkson said he thinks Frédéric Bressand is “talented” and will do “very well” with his own storefront.

“Fred’s got a great personality. He’s a smart guy. He’s a hard worker. He’s got experience,” Clarkson said. “You can’t say enough about hard workers … He’s not afraid of the future, so you got to be that to be a good entrepreneur.”

Although the storefront is still “deep in construction,” with rooms being built out and electric and plumbing being installed, Kate Bressand described the process as a time where her and Frédéric’s dreams are “finally coming up on the paper.”

She said she and her husband appreciate all the community support they have received and look forward to welcoming the neighborhood and Northwestern clientele upon the store’s opening.

“We’re really happy to join all of the restaurants and food establishments on Noyes Street, really rounding out and making Noyes Street a culinary destination in Evanston,” Kate Bressand said.

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