At age 44 Pascal Bishop is, at his core, serious, a perfectionist and hardworking. You just simply know by looking at his frayed tatted exterior that this guy has lived a life. Like a battered fisherman his presence holds more than what meets the eye, a case you will never fully crack and someone who turns away from the spotlight.
So what does a person like Pascal do? Well, he makes the best croissants I’ve ever had in my life. Ever. No exaggeration. Yes, i’ve been to France. Several times. And it’s not just me. Levain and Cherry were recently recognised by Good Food Guide as one of the best bakeries in the UK.
I experienced my first bite of Levain and Cherry in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham at Quarter Horse Coffee Roasters (to be noted, Levain and Cherry no longer supplies to Quarter Horse).
It was a late September afternoon when I caught a glimpse of this curious croissant; circular with a gooey egg on top, frozen in time it seemed, to allow such a perfect texture to stand still.
The cross-section was immaculate, the egg dripped with a viscosity that seemed almost in slow motion like watching lava erupt from a volcano. The croissant was buttery delivered in a perfect circular shape for the egg to sit daintily on top. It had me thinking why did we stop at the crescent shape for croissants when they could taste so good in other shapes and sizes?
Safe to say, I went back inside and bought the last remaining egg croissant for my boyfriend. This was an experience I needed him (and everyone who hasn't yet had the opportunity) to try this croissant. It was indescribable. I had to know everything about where this circular croissant came from, and who made it.
I asked the barista at the coffee shop but they didn’t know, they said to call back and ask. The next day I did just that, and spoke directly to the manager who told me it was sourced just 5 miles away from the bakery in King’s Heath, south of the City Centre.
I thanked them and hung up. I never went back to Quarter Horse again. I got the source.
That weekend my then boyfriend (now husband) and I headed down to the small but compact High Street of King’s Heath. In a tucked away little street behind an iron fence declaring it to be King’s Court, was Pascal’s tiny bakery Levain and Cherry. Its storefront is just a window, with baked good overflowing from various baskets and trays, meticulously lined in order. Rich with warm colours you felt as though you stepped into a real life Studio Ghibli film, with the aroma of fresh bread and savoury treats waiting for those lucky (and early) enough to catch the sight before the local crowds queue up down the narrow street, ready to pay for the indulgence of Pascal’s.
I can’t remember what we bought on that first trip, probably one of everything to be honest (which is the only correct way to leave Levain and Cherry). Pascal constantly refreshes his menu catering to the UK savoury palette with inventions filled with Marmite or English sausages with a solid French foundation. I do mean that quite literally.
“I wanted to bring as much as I could from France”
Pascal has always had one foot in Birmingham and one in France, due to his parents hailing from each place. Pascal imports organic flour for every single one of his baked goods sourcing from a French Mill just outside of Paris. He aims for low waste which leads to innovative items from his staff like ‘Crocaccia’ which is croissant trimmings baked in a tray like a focaccia.
Even in name does Pascal show his breath of knowledge, an inside reference for true bakery lovers ‘Levain’ (pronounced ‘Lev-in) is a French term for sourdough starter that is used to leaven the bread and the ‘Cherry’ referring to where coffee beans come from, the seeds of a fruit called the coffee cherry.
Simple, the name evokes mystery in customers, whether that is in pronouncing in French or thinking Pascal is Levain and someone else is Cherry (I’m happy to finally close the case for us all).
I remember talking to Pascal on that first visit, introducing myself to him and recounting that journey that brought me there. Almost a year later my sister would apprentice underneath him, working out of that very same shopfront.
Before Levain and Cherry, Pascal was a chef working around the world. He didn’t go to traditional culinary school (he dropped out of Pastry School in France). Instead working in kitchens taking opportunities and proving himself.
After working for years as a chef, he was beginning to feel the draw to start something of his own and relocated back to Birmingham. Always a lover of bread (I distrust anyone who isn’t) it was on his 40th birthday when he got a a bread maker and started experimenting with boulangerie baking that his interest grew.
That same year happened to be when the Covid-19 Pandemic occurred, changing everyone’s relationship with restaurants, and the food industry as a whole, forever. In the UK Lockdown, Pascal made an online post offering to sell some of his bread when he realised the interest was there.
That original offering turned into Pascal doing orders and deliveries twice a week throughout March and April and at the end of May he signed lease at original Kings Heath location, opening to the public that August 2020.
It’s been five years since Covid (I know, I also refute that) and Levain and Cherry are now looking to grow in the nearby and up and coming Stirchley, home to other small businesses, local breweries (and against many locals cries, possibly a Maccies?)
Many longterm customers may be curious to why, in the success Pascal has had in his corner of Kings Court, he would want to move? Pascal sheds light on the natural evolution: “One of the reasons is to able to input more staff. More manpower makes it more easier on my staff right now and myself”. In looks, Pascal describes the new spot: “There’s all kind of textures going on. It’s got a bit of French to it. It’s got a bit of me”.
The Stirchley location will serve coffees, a new introduction differing from the original location. “I think the people in Stirchley will get the same experience [as Kings Heath] but better, in terms that they can come in”
Where does that leave the famous Kings Heath location? Rest assured its not going anywhere, but Pascal does have plans for refurbishment to the original spot and, at the time of writing, it is temporary closed while the new Stirchley location is being set up.
As we chat through Pascal’s years as a chef, his journey to opening a small business and what this new location will bring I also had to ask what he would do differently, if he could start again in 2020? His answer: nothing.
“There’s been hard times. There will be more hard times. There’s been obstacles, but all that is part of the adventure isn’t it? It makes you who you are and you move on from it. You learn from your mistakes”
Listen to the full podcast above where I chat to Pascal about his new neighbourhood location for Levain and Cherry, if its true that baking is science and cooking is an art, the future of cooking in relation to rise of social media home cooks, and much more.
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Levain and Cherry
Instagram
Stirchley (new location)
1257 Pershore Rd, Stirchley, Birmingham B30 2YT
Wed-Sat from 10am - 4pm
Kings Heath (temporary closed)
High St, King's Heath, Birmingham B14 7JZ
Rebecca Rampersaud is an American writer, University guest Lecturer, Entrepreneur and Content Creator based in Birmingham, UK. She has her Masters in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship from the University of Leeds and a BA Honors in Fashion Design from Middlesex University. She enjoys craft beer (with the rogue vogue), writing thought pieces and keeping her taste palette guessing. Follow for future takes:
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