"Still a bit in shock." The Frenchman, whom Belarusians saved from bankruptcy, revealed the secrets of his cafe
A dramatic story appeared on Threads in mid-March: "Frenchman Sebastien's cozy cafe" was going through tough times and barely staying afloat. Half a million people read the heartfelt plea — and went to rescue this place. Sebastien became a social media star in just one day, although few knew about the "secret" cafe in the center of Minsk before then. "Still a bit in shock," the Frenchman smiles, bewildered. Journalists from the publication "Onliner" visited the cafe to find out how it survived and talked with Sebastien about moving, difficulties, Belarusian habits, and why a croissant is not a bun.
"My ancestors went to open a bakery in New York, I — to Minsk"
Bonjour cafe is one of the most discussed places this spring in the Minsk segment of Threads. Immediately – an answer to one of the popular questions in the comments: where is it actually located?
Orient yourself towards Mikhailovsky Square near the railway station and look for an archway into the courtyard. Don't go far: immediately to the left is a sign in the colors of the French flag. But even without it, you can immediately follow the scent of softened butter and pastries through the archway.
Inside, bright interiors with vivid accents in the style of Sebastien's native Nice: when planning the cafe, they decided that not only the pastries but also the atmosphere should be French here.
For many Belarusians, a trip to France is not the simplest task, partly due to visa difficulties. Therefore, they strive to create their own corner of France here — so that guests can experience the atmosphere of different regions without even leaving the country.
"Have you been to us before?" — Sebastien doesn't just start the interview with this question: interacting with guests and turning casual visitors into regulars is a French tradition.
"In some places in Belarus, it's surprising: silence, and people are on their smartphones. In France, it's literally impossible to go into a cafe and not talk to anyone if it's a small family establishment," adds Olga, Sebastien's wife, who helps with translation from French.
The couple met in Nice and lived there for a long time, then thought about moving and opening a business in Minsk.
Bonjour cafe in the Belarusian capital opened last March, but Sebastien's family had been involved in baking for almost 200 years already.
It all started in 1828 — then, in a small town in eastern France, Sebastien's ancestor baked bread simply because he always loved it. And in 1887, his son and family left France by ship to establish their bakery in New York and name it French Bakery.
"I haven't shown this to anyone yet, you'll be the first ones," Sebastien leads the journalists to a family heirloom he brought from France to Belarus.
"It turns out, this is a family tradition for us, and I also wanted to try moving and opening my own business. I liked Minsk, its cleanliness, and friendly people."
By the way, Sebastien's grandfather, Jacques, was a writer and poet, and previously taught French language and literature. He very often told his grandson about Marc Chagall, and they visited the Chagall museum in Nice many times together. This is how Sebastien, even as a child, saw photographs of Belarus and Vitebsk, where the artist was born and grew up.
Although Sebastien was interested in baking since childhood, and the family had many recipes passed down from generation to generation, he studied to become a programmer.
"Back then it was trendy, and I had to somehow fit into life."
But the desire to become a baker never disappeared — it was a childhood dream that Sebastien eventually returned to.
The most challenging part at the start in Minsk was finding a suitable space where both baking and selling could take place. This took almost more than a year. Renovations stretched for almost another year: a Chinese cafe had operated here previously, so the premises had to be thoroughly updated. In total, the investment amounted to approximately $35,000–$40,000.
"Often there's not enough capacity: there seems to be space, but it's not designed for a full-fledged bakery. In France, the necessary capacities are initially laid out so that a bakery or cafe can be opened on the ground floor and operate from scratch. Because the culture of fresh pastries is the foundation; people come specifically for quality. If it's not there, they simply won't return."
"We gave ourselves two months"
It so happened that the cafe's opening day was March 8. Sebastien and Olga bought flowers and sent their children to give them out on the street and invite people to the cafe.
"People started coming in, looking at what had opened here, but there weren't many guests. A year ago, on March 14, a girl came in who tried lemon tartlets, a croissant, and coffee. She liked everything very much and said that she felt like she had visited France thanks to our pastries. She told about us on Instagram, and immediately after that, people came and bought all the lemon tartlets."
And in March of this year, the story repeated itself: another girl came to the cafe, talked with Sebastien, and wrote that same post on Threads.
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It went viral in a matter of hours, and literally the next day, the cafe ceased to be a quiet place. Pastries that usually sold out throughout the day started to run out much faster.
— People started actively coming and supporting us, for which we are very grateful. We didn't expect such a stir; after all, we have a mini-bakery, not a large production. Such responsiveness from Belarusians inspired us. There were many comments and feedback.
It seems it was Wednesday evening, and we clutched our heads: how many people will come tomorrow? And a couple of days before that, our large planetary mixer, which handled large volumes of dough, broke down.
— The girl's viral post on Threads was quite dramatic: the cafe was almost on the verge of closing.
— In early March 2026, we gave ourselves another two months — to find a solution and understand how to tell people about our cafe.
So the situation was this: money barely covered basic expenses, and rent remained the main issue. We worked ourselves and couldn't hire people to provide them with salaries.
During difficult times, the cafe was supported by regular customers. Sebastien jokes that people bought even more than they could eat — simply to support the establishment. Other unsold pastries were given to children for school, neighbors, and acquaintances.
Now the cafe lives at a different pace: someone photographs the display, someone argues about which croissant to choose, someone simply stands with coffee, in no hurry to leave. At this moment, Sebastien steps away from the interview to help bring out pastries and chat with guests.
In addition to pastries and cakes, the cafe also offers pizza — not Italian classic, but Provençal pizza.
"Nice is located next to Italy, about 40 minutes from the border. That's why we have our own version of pizza, it's called Provençal. It includes tomatoes, Provençal herbs, and olive oil."
Sebastien also wants the cafe to feature traditional French bread — with olives. And, of course, baguettes. However, this requires an additional oven and equipment.
"If people keep coming, this idea can be realized, and all the necessary kitchen equipment can be bought. How long it will take to save up for the equipment is hard to say. It will depend on our sales."
"A croissant is not a bun"
According to Sebastien, one of the most expensive items to produce is the croissant. 84% fat butter, flour, rent, salaries, taxes — these expenses make croissant production costly. But margarine is out of the question for such pastries, the Frenchman emphasizes, and shows how a real croissant should look — flaky and airy.
Currently, croissants are baked several times a day at the cafe. Sebastien admits he's a perfectionist, so the pastries must be beautiful and perfectly shaped, which is sometimes very difficult to achieve due to temperature. The workshop needs to be cool (15 degrees Celsius), and work must be done very quickly so that the butter doesn't start to melt.
"Today it was raining, it was humid, and that also affects the dough. It needs to be airy, and that's an art in itself.
In France, to make a croissant, a baker buys a ready-made huge square (about two kilograms of butter) that's already rolled out. In Belarus, there's no such thing; you have to gather small pieces of butter into one, and we absolutely use a product with maximum fat content — 84%."
Many menu items cost around 5 rubles, but it wouldn't be possible to sell them cheaper if suitable ingredients are used, according to the Frenchman.
"We are very happy that Belarusians produce very high-quality dairy products; without them, we wouldn't achieve the same pastries. So we can find very good quality products here."
Sebastien notes that Belarusians love to try new things; often, guests specifically ask about novelties in the display. He was once surprised to hear someone call a croissant a bun: behind it lies an entire French culture.
— A girl asked: "Give me that bun," he smiles. — I gently corrected her: "It's not a bun, it's a croissant." A croissant is laminated dough; it needs to be prepared correctly to get a beautiful cross-section, an airy structure, and that distinctive buttery aroma. That is the French taste. Here, you cannot call a croissant a bun. And she took it very well. It's important for me to share this culture and explain what real French pastries are and how they are made.
Every week, one or two people ask if we really make croissants with butter. And they also ask if the pastries are fresh. But in our cafe, it's never any other way.
For example, our lemon tartlet contains lemon juice, the base is a sablé with almond flour; for other pastries, we use good chocolate. In France, quality is taken very seriously, and we want to uphold these principles here.
— Is there a "correct" way to eat a croissant French-style? Can you dip it in coffee?
— Yes, you can. Someone dips a croissant in coffee — that's normal. My father, for example, still eats it that way.
Sometimes it's even funny: people take a knife and fork and eat a croissant, but that's not customary in France. It's eaten by hand.
— Which French flavors or desserts most often raise questions among Belarusians?
— For example, praline. It's a classic French creation, but not everyone fully understands what it is; they often ask.
Praline is hazelnuts or almonds that are roasted, caramelized, and then ground into a paste, which then develops a delicate nutty aroma with caramel notes. This is completely different from ready-made masses from large productions.
In general, much of French baking relies on the ingredients used. Zest, juice — everything must be freshly squeezed, natural. That's the base. And then comes the recipe and technique — and as a result, the taste is created.
— Sometimes people say: "Do you have a real Frenchman working here, can we see him?" — adds Olga.
Another French tradition that Sebastien likes is the owner's interaction with cafe guests.
— Owners always talk to people, ask if they liked it, offer something. It's not like hiring staff and then stepping aside. In France, they work as a family: husband and wife, children, relatives — everyone is involved.
In France, it's normal: people work together for years, all go on vacation together for a couple of weeks, close the establishment, and no one perceives this as a problem. On the contrary, they are told: rest, come back, we are waiting for you.
— Looking back, would you have opened the cafe knowing all the difficulties beforehand?
— Two months ago, I might have said no. But now I'll say: yes! It would have been a shame if we had closed, and people had never tasted our French pastries.
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