Popular Olympia bakery, Bread Peddler, adds bistro

Olympia's Bread Peddler, which opened nine years ago, has established itself as a popular downtown destination.

But that popularity has sometimes meant that potential customers have kept on walking or driving by if the business appeared too busy, said owner Andre Le Rest.

To address demand, Le Rest and his partner, Frances Wolff, have opened the 1,100-square-foot Peddler Bistro in the same building, featuring a lounge, dining area and wine bar. The restaurant seats about 50, but they're already planning to expand to accommodate about 65 diners.

It is a French experience, Le Rest, 62, said about the bistro. The menu features soup, salad, antipasto, as well as meat and vegetarian dishes, with prices ranging from $4 to $16. One of the soups is the Breton seafood stew, a family recipe, Le Rest said.

The menu was developed by executive chef Ryan McClelland.

"He's very good at what he does and deserves a tip of the hat," Le Rest said.

The wines also are French, selling per glass from $9 to $12, according to the menu. One such wine is from the Cotes du Rhone region of France, which produces wines that are "very berry-like, deep and full of sunshine," he said.

He does not have a background in cooking - he's self-taught, he said. Le Rest is modest about his accomplishments, but Wolff interjected to say that he loves to see people enjoying themselves at his restaurants.

The decor is sprinkled with personal touches, such as a poem, written in the Breton language, that hangs on the wall.

Family photos adorn another wall, including a photo of Le Rest's grandparents and his father, 89-year-old Louis Le Rest, who lives in France.

The wooden wine bar was built by Andre, using wood from Windfall Lumber in Tumwater, a business that specializes in reclaimed lumber.

Le Rest and Wolff also singled out a wooden hutch used by wait staff that was created by fellow Frenchman Bruno Hervieux of Rainier and his business, Normandie Woodworks.

The oversized hutch was made from Douglas fir. The wood was left rough and then stained to give it a "country" feel, Hervieux said. He also built about a 9-foot-long table out of walnut and mahogany for the restaurant.

Le Rest isn't done expanding.

After the bistro, his next plan is to expand into the vacant space next to the Bread Peddler. That will be home to a deli, coffee bar and a place to sell crepes and other grab-and-go food items, he said. It is expected to open at the end of June.

Peddler Bistro at The Bread Peddler

Owner: Andre Le Rest and Frances Wolff.

Location: In the same building as the Bread Peddler, 222 Capitol Way N. No. 103, Olympia. Customers can enter the bistro from Capitol Way or via an alley alongside the business.

Years in business: The Bread Peddler has been open nine years; the bistro opened in December.

Employees: 37.

Online: The Bread Peddler is on Facebook and can be found at breadpeddler.com.

Hours: The bistro is open 6-9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The Bread Peddler is open 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 7 a.m.-5 p.m. the rest of the week.

Advice to business owners: If it's the restaurant business, the new owner must be prepared to deal with incredibly slim profit margins, Le Rest said. Wolff, who has a background in retail, added that you must be passionate about what you do.

Did you know? Le Rest was born and raised in Brittany, northwest France. He speaks French and Breton, a language closer to English than French, given Brittany's proximity to England. He came to the United States in the late 1980s and later ran a wholesale/retail bakery in Port Townsend for 10 years. The Bread Peddler opened in 2006. "I've always had a passion for bread," Le Rest said.

This story was originally published May 17, 2015 at 7:04 AM with the headline "Popular Olympia bakery, Bread Peddler, adds bistro."