:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68459062/sucre_new_orleans_cupcake_1_crop_2048x864.0.jpg)
The resurrection of popular New Orleans boutique bakery Sucre under new owners is set for tomorrow, December 5, the company confirmed to Eater. Ayesha Motwani is reopening the original Magazine Street location of the dessert shop alongside executive pastry chef Ashley McMillan, a year and a half after all four of its locations closed.
Motwani purchased Sucre’s name and recipes, she told NOLA.com’s Ian McNulty (Sucre NOLA LLC appears registered to husband Aaron Motwani, a local business owner known for fried chicken and daiquiri chain Willie’s Chicken Shack). Ashley McMillan, who previously served as Sucre’s sous chef and then head chef, is reviving the macarons, king cake, cupcakes, and gelato the chain became known for. Sneak peeks of opening offerings on Sucre’s Instagram include Hanukkah-themed mini macarons, confetti cake, and croissants.
The storefront at 3025 Magazine Street first opened in 2007 and quickly became popular for its macarons and other Instagrammable confections, eventually expanding with two more shops and a restaurant, Salon by Sucre, in the French Quarter. In August 2018, co-founder and executive pastry chef Tariq Hanna resigned from his role at the company; four months later a bombshell NOLA.com report revealed his departure was prompted by allegations of sexual misconduct. (Hanna retained partial ownership in the company after he stepped down.) Sucre abruptly closed all of its locations in June 2019, after “a year of trying and failing to bring the company to financial profitability.”
Owners say they are “reviving a beloved New Orleans classic, transformed as a destination dessert and coffee boutique with a sophisticated new atmosphere.” Coffee and espresso drinks will be made with Congregation Coffee, a local roaster based in Algiers, and all sweets and baked goods will be prepared on site at the renovated store.
Sucre will open at 7 a.m. daily, until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and until 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Do you have a restaurant tip? Noticed a spot in your neighborhood opening or closing? Leave a comment or send an email.
Looking for restaurant recs or a place to chat about favorite restaurants? Join Eater NOLA’s Facebook group.
