French bakery-cafe to open on South George Street
Bread of France also plans to open locations in Springettsbury Township and Baltimore
Paul Krinitsin sees Bread of France as a place where customers can stop for a quick coffee and croissant on the way to work, or linger over a French pastry and a cup of onion soup after church on Sunday.
Krinitsin is opening Bread of France bakery-cafes in downtown York, Springettsbury Township and Baltimore.
"You should feel like you're in France," Krinitsin said as he showed off the renovations underway at what will be the cafe's York location. He expects to open in two to three weeks in the space at 24 S. George St. formerly occupied by Healthy World Cafe.
The time is right for opening a French bakery downtown, Krinitsin said. New apartment buildings are filling up with tenants. Weekend festivals are drawing visitors from the suburbs, and the city is on the upswing, he said.
"I think it will be exciting to be part of it," said Krinitsin, 34, the owner of New Land Construction, a Spring Garden Township-based firm that builds commercial buildings. The company has built a number of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Dunkin' Donuts restaurants, including the Popeyes on Mt. Rose Avenue.
Krinitsin and Bruno Blanchard, his business partner in the restaurants, plan to open a second Bread of France location, on East Market Street in Springettsbury Township, in about six to eight weeks. A third location is planned for Baltimore's popular Federal Hill neighborhood.
They'll be bringing in a chef from France to supervise the restaurants and handle most of the baking, Krinitsin said.
"I've always been fascinated with European foods," said Krinitsin, who moved to the U.S. in 1994 with his parents and two sisters.
Krinitsin was just shy of his 13th birthday when the family emigrated from the Russian town of Mozyr in what is now Belarus.