FOR Jean-Pierre Morel, running a bakery in Beijing is as romantic as it is in Paris, and full of nostalgia.

“In Beijing, everything is possible and if you are persistent, you can achieve your goals,” said Morel, a 60-year-old Frenchman. His shop, Chez Morel, founded in 2014, focuses on authentic French flavors and its flagship product is of course the baguette.

At the end of last year, baguette making was selected as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Today, baguettes and other Western pastries have enriched Chinese cuisines. Although it is common to buy baguettes, croissants, chocolate pastries and other French bread in bakeries, some bakers still try to bring the more authentic French breads to Chinese customers. Chez Morel is one of them.

“Many Chinese customers, after visiting Europe, come here to find the authentic French taste,” says Morel proudly. In the kitchen, once he puts on his apron, he looks stern and focused. He kneads the dough carefully and, from time to time, gives instructions to the bakers around him.

“After coming to China for the first time in 2008, I fell in love with Beijing, a bustling city but with less stress than in Paris,” he said.

Recalling his entrepreneurial experience, Morel shared some observations. At first, it was difficult to find the right ingredients such as flour and butter, let alone a baker familiar with making French bread. In just a few years, Chinese people’s acceptance of Western baking has grown rapidly, leading to the growth of the industry. Data shows that China’s bakery market is growing rapidly. By 2022, the size of this market reached nearly 300 billion yuan (US$43.6 billion) and is expected to exceed 350 billion yuan in 2025.

A large market and strong development are the main reasons for the growth of the bakery industry. Behind this rapid development, Chinese customers have more diverse needs, loving to try different food and preferring more natural and healthier ingredients.

“I will continue to progress and may open a third or fourth store,” said Morel.(Xinhua)