in Niort, former restaurateurs are reconverting to fine pastries

After starting his career in the dining room in great restaurants and nineteen years as chef at the Auberge de La Roussille, in Niort, in his forties, Richard Morin resumed his studies and passed his CAP as a pastry chef. “In the restaurant and food industry, questioning is perpetual”he explains. “I myself have experienced both the low and the high. » The life of an entrepreneur is not always a smooth river. So, with his wife, Laëtitia Rontet-Morin, the artisan changed course and opened Nuage Croquant, in June 2023.

Reroll the dice to renew

“When we bought La Roussille, it was a bar-restaurant that was a creperie and a pier, open six months of the year. We stopped the boats after five seasons, and after ten years, we said to ourselves that we were going to try to be star-studded”says Laëtitia Rontet-Morin. “It requires a huge investment, three times as much staff and after a while, by having the star in mind, we saw our relationship being destroyed. Financially too, it was complicated. We managed to turn the business around thanks to our employees who stayed, even when we could no longer pay them. »

The time had come for them to turn the page. And the restaurateurs decided to sell their inn which had built a good reputation in the region. Their challenge, to try a new adventure in the center of Niort, between the market halls and the town hall, with the concept of Nuage Croquant. “A sweet and savory tea room with an improved snack offering. We manage to do between fifty and sixty seats at lunchtime, it has started to take over for a few months”rejoice the owners who have committed not to do catering for five years by selling La Roussille.

An original offer

A local decorator enhanced the premises with a thirty-four-seat room upstairs. Local craftsmen carried out the work, down to the tables specially made by a carpenter.

Richard Morin has developed fine pastries and pastries with a trendy offering: gluten-free, vegan, less sugar and soon, sugar-free. For catering, he relies on local products, sourcing mainly from the neighboring market. The couple also offers a catering service in the evenings and weekends.
Three employees and an apprentice complete the team. The address with its distinctive yellow storefront is starting to have its regulars, and the objective of 400,000 euros in annual turnover no longer seems unattainable.