Family Bakery Opens on Main Street

On a particularly fine October day in Barrington, residents were strolling down Main Street enjoying the last of the golden weather. Most walked past the open windows of Doux Cream, the new bakery in town, but a few turned in and were well-rewarded for doing so.

Inside the simply decorated storefront are a few seats with tables and two comfy leather chairs anchored with a coffee table, perfect for to settling into while indulging in a homemade treat and a cup of coffee.

“We wanted it to be cozy and for people to come in and feel relaxed and have a cup of coffee,” said Julie Son, who serves as manager when she is not working as a pharmacist or caring for her 7-month-old baby.

It is a comfortable place, but the star of the show is the L-shaped glass bakery case toward the back of the room. Julie’s sister-in-law, Nana is the pastry chef, and the display is a testament to her talent; the croissants, tarts, and cupcakes are attractive and mouth-watering — Julie assured that they taste even better than they look. 

“Everything is wonderful. Cakes are our specialty,” she said.

Doux Cream bakes made-to-order cakes, which should be requested at least 48 hours in advance — although in the event of a cake emergency, 24 hours is sometimes enough. 

“It’s lighter than what people are used to,” Julie said. “We use less sugar, organic whipped cream, no preservatives and we do 6-inch, 8-inch (cakes) and 9 inches.”

Although it’s not a hard-and-fast rule, Nana Son uses organic ingredients when they are available in the freshest form. 

“We’ve had very good feedback on the tarts,” Julie said. Indeed, on this day, many types were sold out, leaving appetizing chocolate, apple and banana to tempt customers. “We may add some pears or pumpkins for the season. Nana’s always thinking of new menus.”

Cupcakes are a specialty of the house and the Sons pride themselves on the unique qualities and flavors.

“Yesterday we had green tea cupcakes,” Julie said.

At the time, there were red velvet, chocolate and strawberry cupcakes, with both the cake and the icing infused with the fruit. They’re almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Don’t pass these by.

The new bakery in town is a family venture according to Julie. There is “my husband, Sean, and his sister, Nana — she’s the pastry chef; She studied in Korea, Japan and France,” said Julie.

Although the family is of Korean descent, there is only one recipe offered from their heritage. 

“It’s a sweet potato cake made with Korean sweet potatoes,” Julie said. “They are creamy-colored and it does taste different. One of our customers described it as a taste of banana and chestnut.”

The Sons will add some light meals to their menu soon. 

“We are adding some breakfast soufflés,” Julie said. “We just did a preview of the egg and potato salad sandwich, as a light lunch. We’ll also have tuna salad.”

“When we start doing the soufflés, we’ll be open at seven (a.m.) and we’ll be open until seven (p.m.). On Friday and Saturday, we’ll be from seven in the morning until eight at night, so people going to the (Catlow) Theater can stop by. Sundays we’ll be closed.”

The family looked at many locations before settling on Barrington for their new venture.

“It took us some time to find the location,” Julie said. “Somebody introduced us to this area and we looked at the downtown and thought it was a good area.”

The family feels welcome and comfortable in the location at 120 W. Main St.

“We’re new to the village and we’ve noticed that people are very nice and want us to do well,” said Julie. “It’s something I didn’t expect. I think people try to help each other out.”