East Bay swap: French out, Japanese in
La Noisette, a French bakery in California’s East Bay, is closing and making way for a Japanese bakery — a local sign that demand for Japanese café culture and matcha‑style pastries is rising in North America Oaklandside report.
Owner Alain Shocron said he’s retiring to focus on his health and family and set La Noisette’s final day for April 1. hoodline.com Bay Area pop‑up Milk Cloud Bakery founder Liz Khuu is taking over the 2701 Eighth St. suite and expects to open a permanent shop in April after light construction. yahoo.com Khuu plans a menu built around plush shokupan loaves, Basque cheesecakes and sweet and savory “sandos” (strawberry‑black‑sesame, jammy‑egg), plus coffee and tea. yahoo.com La Noisette operated out of the Berkeley Kitchens commissary for about 10 years and recently sold more than 200 canelés on a single Saturday, while Khuu began selling loaves in 2023 and has supplied restaurants including Jo’s Modern Thai and Shoji. oaklandside.org
