“Virginia is for Lovers.” The slogan printed on the license plates and at the entrance to the State of Virginia fits well with the story of Thurgau resident Corinne Bhavsar. Because it was in the wake of her American love at the time, met in Graubünden, that she found herself in the United States, in 2015, and ended up working for “The Swiss Bakery & SwissFavorites.com. A store/restaurant in Springfield, Virginia, in the great suburbs of Washington. An establishment that imports many very Swiss products into the USA.
The lively Swiss woman then divorced, but ended up finding happiness in the area. Today, she has a little daughter whom she regularly takes to her country of origin and the latter enjoys it among the cows and tractors when she crosses the Atlantic. But it is in the USA that Corinne feels the best and it shows in her eyes, in this Swiss store which has managed to slip into the hearts of the locals, notably thanks to its tasty pastries.
Some 6,000 kilometers from Helvetia, this small enclave with the white cross tattooed on it was opened more than twenty years ago by Reto Weber, who left Frauenfeld to open a bakery on the other side of the Atlantic. Then he began importing Swiss products to the United States. “It started with Rivella,” explains Corinne from Thurgau, laughing. Then, Camille Bloch products. He didn’t want Lindt chocolates, because they’re often not made in Switzerland!”
A visit to the establishment almost gives you chills. In a corner, Aromat and Caotina. Over there, Chicco d’Oro coffee and Stocki puree. And then Sinalco, Ravioli, röstis, sausages, cervelas, wine, raclette, fondue… Everything you imagine as a very Swiss product is available for purchase. The height of happiness for a Helvetian on the go: braid, in the middle of a cloud of local bread! A passage behind the counter is mind-blowing. More than 50 employees come and go throughout the week, all to promote a piece of “our” culture.
