OUR STORY

In 1995 Mary Jane’s family hosted Celine as a high school student. The two became fast friends as Celine fell in love with the Santa Cruz life. Later in Nice in 2007, Céline and her next-door neighbor, Emilie, found they shared a taste for good coffee and pastries. That year, they opened their first coffee shop, Emilie’s Cookies, modeled off the American cafes Celine frequented when she was in California. The cafe became Emilie and the Cool Kids and grew into a successful regional and national franchise with 30 locations throughout France. Now thirty years later, together with Mary Jane, they opened the first Emilie and the Frenchies in Aptos. Highlighting fresh, made in house French Provençal dishes and the desire to unite their two countries around the pleasure of eating well, Emilie and the Frenchies offers French flavors with California vibes.

  • MANAGER/ASSOCIATE

    Mary Jane grew up in Santa Cruz, roaming the UCSC campus and Bookshop Santa Cruz and hanging out at Caffe Pergolesi.

    Santa Cruz County is her favorite place in the world and she is excited to share a taste of France with the community she loves so much.

    Her favorite menu items are the Pan Bagnat, Nutella Muffin, and the Madeleines.

  • co foundator

When ?

Opening Sat 26 April

CONTACT US

Phone or Email ?
(831) 661-5139

mary@emilieandthecoolkids.com

Where ?
7564 Soquel Dr, Aptos, CA 95003

Aptos center

 
At Emilie and the Frenchies, we brought the charm of France — green & pink tones, floral touches, and that cozy French flair — all the way to Aptos 🌿✨Designed from France by the talented @interieur_exterieur_concept , and beautifully brought to life by the neighborhood pros at the very local Testeroff, our new space feels just like home (if home smelled like pastries and vanilla) It’s got all the beauty of France… Minus the grumpy café stereotypes 😉 cause we try to be Cool ! Come visit us & feel the Califrenchie vibe! Chez Émilie and the Frenchies, on a ramené un petit bout de France à Aptos — du vert, du rose, des fleurs, et ce je-ne-sais-quoi ultra cosy à la française. Le tout imaginé depuis la France par le studio Intérieur Extérieur Design qui signe la décoration de nos shops en France ! Résultat ? Un lieu qui sent bon la madeleine et le thé, et qui ressemble à la maison, enfin quand c’est rangé et bien décoré quoi ! Ici, le café est chaud, l’ambiance est cool, et les sourires sont compris dans le prix. Passe nous voir et plonge dans la vibe Califrenchie ! #FrenchAndFriendly #EmilieAndTheFrenchies #AptosEats #InteriorCrush #ViveLaDécoration
You deserve better than a croissant. Every morning, Liyah whips up fresh pastries using Emilie’s OG French recipes — because in France, all pastry chefs are named Emilie. It’s basically the law. We don’t do croissants (our lovely neighbors already nailed that) and ils sont si booons ! We’d rather have fun with French classics — our way. Think gooey Nutella muffins, golden madeleines, dreamy financiers, strawberry pies, tarte tatins and crème brûlée Cookies and way too much butter.
“They did it! And they did it so well! Today was our very first day — and it was incredible! So many smiles, so much love, and so many of you showed up! Our hearts (and ovens) are full. A special shoutout to Mary Jane & Céline — our two teenage pen pals who turned a dream (and a whole lot of buttery goodness) into reality. Bravooooo ! (And yes… we even brought our famous Nutella muffins all the way from Nice to Santa Cruz!) Oh, and that beautiful décor you spotted? It’s signed by @interieur_exterieur_concept — stay tuned, we’ll tell you more about it in our next post! And the best news? We’re just getting started! We’re open again tomorrow from 7AM to 5PM — come taste a little piece of France!” 🇫🇷 “Elles l’ont fait ! Aujourd’hui, c’était notre tout premier jour — plein de sourires et de Coolness ! Un grand bravo à Mary Jane & Céline — ces deux cool kids devenues des super Girl Boss ! (Et oui… nos fameux muffins au Nutella ont voyagé de Nice jusqu’à Santa Cruz !) La jolie déco ? Elle est signée @interieur_exterieur_concept -comme d’hab — on vous en parle très vite dans un prochain post ! On se retrouve demain des 07:00 ! #EmilieAndTheFrenchies #OpeningDay #AptosEats #FrenchVibesOnly #fromnicetocalifornia