I’m Crystelle Vu, born and bred in the heart of Paris.

When I was a child, you’d often find me standing on my toes just peeking over the bakery stall at my family’s supermarket in Montmartre, handing over traditional pastries and baguettes to customers. I’d always stop at a French or Asian bakery on my way home from school and when coming back home from work. Bref, my loveliest memories have always had food in the center, as our main love language.

Nowadays, I make these same desserts, just as exquisite, but with a twist: they’re unapologetically vegan. And this time, it was my dad who peeked behind my market stall in Aotearoa New Zealand, when I first launched Bouche (“mouth” in French) in July 2025. I have a penchant for nostalgic cakes you could find in the 90s in Paris, and among these, those that have quietly disappeared off our shelves and are now hard to find in France. I also love to bake cakes we Parisians make behind closed doors, that you won’t find in our bakeries.

While my “why” was to introduce the public to vegan French pâtisserie and show it can be just as delicious, my “why” has evolved over the months, all thanks to you. All the wow in your eyes and voices, but also seeing people of all ages at my market stall being moved to tears and excited that they could finally eat these decadent and luxurious desserts again, after a lifetime of restrictions due to allergies to eggs, dairy, or gluten. Having regular customers eggs in hand, not giving a damn at all that my sweets are vegan, as long as they’re yummy. Observing the care when people choose a dessert to gift to a loved one, to express their affection and appreciation. For someone self-taught, moments like these make my countless sleepless nights and years of dedication so worth it. Spreading pure happiness is now my main goal.

It’s also my mission to honour the rich flavours of Aotearoa and the Pacific by using produits du terroir - local, high-quality ingredients - alongside as many Pacific-grown products as possible; the sea salt I use comes from the coasts of Malborough, the chocolate from Papua New Guinea, the vanilla beans from Tonga, the rum from Fiji. My desserts, handmade entirely from scratch in my registered tiny home kitchen, reflect a blend of cultures I’m proud of : my French and Asian heritage, and the place I now call home - Aotearoa.

You can follow my journey on instagram @atelierbouche.
This is only the beginning 💋