The woman-owned vegan French bakery is in its soft opening phase in Santa Monica.
Vegan croissants, pain suisse, and eclairs are just a few of the mindblowing vegan French pastries you can find at Chaumont Vegan. Since its inception in Beverly Hills, the plant-based Parisian bakery has become a hot spot for vegan and non-vegan Angelenos alike. So it’s only natural that Chaumont Vegan opens a second location in Santa Monica!
Chaumont in Beverly Hills
Chaumont Vegan is a spinoff of the original Chaumont Bakery & Café in Beverly Hills. It all began by introducing a few vegan pastries at the regular bakery. Customers couldn’t get enough of these plant-based bites and began requesting more.
Chaumont co-owner Laila Abddaim told VegOut, “A non-vegan customer came in and requested the turkey and cheese croissant. However, when I suggested he try the vegan ham and cheese, he was initially hesitant. When asked if the vegan option was better, I honestly replied, ‘I love it.’ The customer decided to try both a vegan and non-vegan option and came back after finishing his meal to purchase all the remaining vegan ham and cheese to take home. Witnessing a non-vegan customer embrace plant-based cuisine was truly heartwarming.”
Chaumont Vegan Photo by Allie Mitchell
First Vegan French Bakery in Los Angeles
As the vegan pastries continued flying off the shelves at Chaumont Bakery & Café, Abddaim decided to open Chaumont Vegan next door. This marked the first vegan French bakery in Los Angeles. Abddaim took great precaution to prepare Chaumont Vegan’s baked goods separately from Chaumont Bakery & Café’s non-vegan pastries. From utensils and plates to pastry bags, pans, and ovens, the staff prepares everything separately for each location—even though they’re next door to each other.
The menu at Chaumont Vegan features sweet and savory French vegan pastries and breakfast items like avocado toast and coconut yogurt parfaits. To drink, find a variety of coffee and tea beverages along the lines of lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos.
Chaumont Vegan’s fanbase has grown exponentially since its opening in the spring of 2021. The demand grew so much, Abddaim created her own line of European style vegan butter, called Proud Vegan, to keep up. “Every day we open our doors, we witness a growing number of people who were once opposed to veganism try our plant-based options and love them,” Abddaim shared.
Chaumont Vegan Photo by Allie Mitchell
Chaumont Santa Monica Soft Opening
Co-owners Laila Abddaim and Frederic Laski set their sights on opening a bakery in Santa Monica before the establishment of Chaumont Vegan. In fact, when they found the new location, the duo planned to model it after Chaumont Bakery & Café. But due to the immense success of Chaumont Vegan, the Santa Monica bakery is a hybrid of the two. Like their bakeries in Beverly Hills, Chaumont Santa Monica prepares its vegan and non-vegan items separately. Everything is clearly labeled for both customers and staff members, down to a separate milk steamer for vegan beverages.
“By offering Chaumont Vegan alongside Chaumont's non-vegan menu, we aimed to introduce non-vegan diners to plant-based cuisine. My mission is to encourage people to incorporate more plant-based food into their diet without compromising on taste and quality,” said Abddaim.
Chaumont Santa Monica is in its soft opening phase, with the current operating hours of Monday through Sunday from 7:30am to 3pm. Abddaim expressed plans to officially open in early April.
Chaumont Santa Monica is located at 2930 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404. For more information, visit ChaumontVegan.com.
