It feels great to be healthy and work out, but let’s face it—we all get a sweet tooth every now and then. Vienne, a newly established, French-inspired bakery and café located at 101 S. Wallace Avenue (near the Bozeman Public Library) is the perfect place in which to indulge. Although it is small, the décor and mood are incredible! Walking in, it feels as if you are actually in France. The color scheme consists of black, white, and red, and each table holds a vase full of bright red roses. Beautiful black and white images adorn the walls, and large windows offer an amazing view of the Bridger mountain range. The menu includes all sorts of pastries, breads, sandwiches, and coffee.

CEO Anna Mendoza was inspired to open Vienne while doing a pastry internship in France at a restaurant in Condrieu, a small town neighboring the village of Vienne. Her husband, Daniel Mendoza, has a background in the hospitality industry, as well as in wine and food service. This brings a great balance to Anna’s baking skills and really brings Vienne together. In French, Vienne means “come here,” which, in my opinion, is a sign to the people in Bozeman that we should do just that!

Maisie Bissell: Can you explain, how was Vienne conceptualized?

Anna Mendoza: I knew I wanted to start my own bakery when I finished my stage (culinary internship) in France. I absolutely fell in love with baking and pastry, and knew that a bakery was the direction I wanted to go. My stage was in Condrieu, France, just next door to Vienne, and I used to ride my motorcycle over to Vienne on a pretty regular basis. It was such a beautiful little town and had such a rich culinary history, I was just enamored with it. Down the road, as I gained experience working in various bakeries and restaurants in San Francisco and New York, the picture of what I wanted Vienne to be started to come into focus. I have always been drawn to the artistic side of being a pastry chef, and presentation is very important to me, so I knew that my bakery needed to be elegant and high-end to go with the pastries I was planning to make. The last three years I was in San Francisco, I worked on developing and testing recipes, so that when the right opportunity presented itself I would be ready to go.

My husband Daniel and I moved to Bozeman two years ago, and I immediately hit the ground running, looking for a space for our concept. We happened on the space we’re in now, and I knew instantly this was the spot. I had always imagined lots of windows and light coming into the bakery, and a black and white color scheme that would make the pastries pop, and 101 S. Wallace fit my vision completely. So we started the crazy journey of designing the space, doing construction, and finally moving in to open Vienne on May 4th, 2021.

MB: What do you want people to experience when they walk through your doors?

AM: I’ve always wanted Vienne to be an escape for people. I want it to be a place where they can indulge themselves, relax, catch up with friends and forget about the crazy world around them for just a moment.

MB: What makes Vienne unique in the Bozeman food scene?

AM: Being that we are a French concept bakery, I think that makes us unique to the other bakeries around town. We really do try to make pastries and bread that are reminiscent of France, and things that a lot of people in Bozeman probably haven’t had in a long time, if ever.

MB: What do your regulars keep coming back for?

AM: It varies, but for sure the croissants are the major thing people keep coming back for. We definitely have some die-hard bread fans as well, and most recently there are quite a few who have been coming back for our tomato soup.

MB: What is your personal favorite menu item?

AM: That’s a hard one. It’s a toss-up between the French Canelés and the Chocolate Almond Croissant.

MB: What do you personally enjoy most about being part of the Bozeman community?

AM: I love seeing the regulars coming in every week and showing their appreciation for what we’re doing. It’s been really fun getting to know their names and stories. The patience the community as a whole has shown us as we’ve worked out the kinks, made mistakes, and corrected them has been amazing. They’ve been so kind and understanding when things weren’t quite where we were hoping they would be; it took us some time to get them there.

MB: Do you have anything coming up that readers should know about?

AM: Not at this time. We’ll be constantly working on expanding the menu, but staffing is still an issue, so I don’t want to make any promises.

MB: How often do you change your menu?

AM: Seasonally, at least every three months. We revamped the menu when we re-opened in January and have several items, such as bread pudding and turnovers, that we change up with whatever is in season.

MB: Do you have any goals for expanding Vienne?

AM: Yes, our first addition is going to be a wine bar and cheese case, but dates for that are still very much in the air. My husband is a certified sommelier, so the wine bar will be more his baby, while I’ll keep the bakery side going. Once that is completed we’ll look at doing another location, possibly in Four Corners or Big Sky, depending on what opportunities present themselves. There are no timelines for any of that at this point.

MB: What qualities do you look for when hiring new employees?

AM: Reliability, responsibility, a desire to learn, and a true love for bread and pastries.

Vienne offers a delightful and truly delicious experience; once you visit, you’ll want to come back again and again. It’s the perfect spot if you’re looking for a place to read, do homework, take someone out on a date, or just chill. There is a lot of natural light, providing a great place to have a morning or afternoon cup of coffee. When I visited, I tried the “morning bun” (think gourmet cinnamon roll), and can most definitely recommend it! Vienne’s menu has so many options that you may have a hard time choosing, but honestly, anything you order will taste fantastic!

Next time you find yourself craving a sweet treat, check out Vienne and see all that it has to offer. I promise you won’t regret it! They are open every day except Monday. For more information, visit www.viennemt.com