The French Bakery
Okay, Pavlovian puppies, you don’t need a bell to salivate:
just walk by 4108 Granby. Our taste buds go crazy just thinking about this historic little
shop-- the French Bakery, they’ve been taking orders since 1912, when Elias
Habib opened up in downtown Norfolk, across from the Wells Theater, (223
Monticello) so we know he must've made John Doumar's
acquaintance. They were as much a tradition in that neighborhood as Baccalis Hot Dogs.
George Sr. opened the location just past the Granby
Street Bridge in Riverview, during World
War II and his wife Haifa took over management in ‘77, with George's passing.
They even moved the brick oven from downtown. He started the custom of handing out gratis:
pieces of his mouthwatering, homemade doughnuts for you and your party, while asking how
you liked your sandwich.
Fortunately for we deli epicureans, they are open daily. Factoid: it’s the
only place in Hampton Roads where you'll get authentically NYC-tasting sandwiches and
bakery thingies. Trust us, we kid you not. They're open daily from 8:30am to 5pm (11:30am
to 3pm, Sundays).
Son George once operated the French Bakery & Deli in the Selden
Arcade, and Uncle Mounir Moujais operated the Bon Appetit´ at Pembroke,
but you can’t franchise this kind of heaven on a roll.
Now they can be found serving up the same wonderments at the parent store. Grandmother
Barbara Moujais and her daughter Haifa deserve a break today, serving
impossible-to-describe sandwiches up for so many years.
Now we can appreciate the boys taking over, doing a ton's worth of holiday fruit
cakes per season, and French Yule Logs and Baba Au Rhum yum! And, if you don’t try
the eclairs and baklava, fuhgeddaboudit!
Hey, don’t even think of ditching a wedding invite --if their cake's been
ordered, even if you have no use for the in-laws.
Riverview of course, refers to the Lafayette River aka Tanner's
Creek, named for one Daniel Tanner, a landowner of the early 1600's; it was dubbed Layfayette in the 19th century.
While we're cookin' --many OViewers can remember NAAS Bakery at Wards
Corner, the cheesecake rolls made for a great breakfast drive downtown to work during the
70's. The location was just past Sai Gai's beyond Jerry's (a local's watering hole, then Bobbywood
and today and AJ Gators Sports Bar) but they're found today on Tidewater
Drive at Lakewood.
About the Nickel Tour
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