What is a crêpe?

Crêpes have been around in some form or another for centuries.   The French have made them famous.  They are very thin pancakes made essentially from flour, eggs,  milk and butter or oil.  They are delicious by themselves, or can be filled will all sorts of good things and rolled or folded up.  Crêperies can be fine restaurants, serving them with all kinds of meats, seafood, vegetables and rich sauces, or chocolate, fruit, cream, or any sweet thing imaginable for dessert.  There are also crêpes à emporter with simpler fillings, prepared at walk-up windows, found just about everywhere in France.  Customers stand and watch while the crêpes are made, then carry them away, eating them with their hands.

The idea for opening a walk-up crêperie was hatched many years ago when I was a student in France.   After discovering crêpes they became a staple of my diet because as a hot, quick meal they fit right in with the poor student budget.    The best part was that they were never far away.  

My husband Mark and I took many more trips to France and ate countless more crêpes.  We decided that the good people of Lexington should be able enjoy them here.   After years of tweaking batters and looking for just the right griddle, and after serving hundreds of crêpes to our friends, family and my French students, we think we’ve hit on a good combination. La Petite Crêperie hopes to recreate the experience of ordering a crêpe à emporter in France. Half the fun is watching, smelling and anticipating how delicious it's going to be!