The East Village Baker Known for Her Aesthetic Floral Cakes

Lucie Franc de Ferriere loves the East Village for several reasons, but early on a warm Tuesday morning, she’s taking note of the diverse businesses that line the block of Tenth Street between First and Avenue A. “There’s a kava shop right next door and a Russian bathhouse across the street,” she says. “And the plant store on the end is amazing.”

Situated somewhere right in the middle is her bakery, From Lucie. She’s glad we didn’t miss it, but its chipper yellow exterior makes it hard to pass by without spotting. And that’s not even accounting for the line that often forms outside its doors once it opens at 10 a.m. After being laid off from her job in the art world during the pandemic, she began baking to cope and feel closer to her family back in France. She was used to creating things and working with her hands — she grew up helping her family run a bed-and-breakfast — and she began to adapt recipes from her mother. At that same time, her now-husband (she got married this June) had just opened a coffee shop in the Lower East Side, which she began to help with by stocking its take-out windows with baked goods.

In January 2023, the bakery opened and quickly gained popularity, especially since the cakes have such a distinct style. Everywhere you look (and bite) you can taste nature. Her baked goods are infused with herbs and florals, and the shop is always overflowing with floral arrangements, all atop the cakes, on the windowsills, and in a fridge behind the front desk. They’re beautiful, but according to Franc de Ferriere, they don’t impress her French friends.

“Everyone at home is like “this is cool, but when are you going back to your job?” or they say “You’re making homemade baked goods that look homemade and you’re selling them to people,” she laughs. “They don’t understand why people would buy them. French people expect you to go to culinary school and for the baked goods to be refined. But this feels like I’m baking for my friends, not a job. It’s amazing.”

We chatted with Franc de Ferriere to learn about her laid-back and friendly style that is everywhere from her cakes to her Instagram feed to her clothes, where she loves to shop, and how she finds inspiration around her.

How much did growing up in France impact your style? 
Growing up, I wore very eccentric things, and when I moved to New York, I realized that no one cared about how people dressed, whereas in France, people were constantly judging. I was wearing anything and everything when I first moved here and was like, This is exhausting. So I went back to basics. But I always like to have something a bit eccentric on me. Like a full outfit of basics, and then a fun little pop of an accessory, I love it. My budget loves it too because I’m not buying a whole new wardrobe every year.

Has your style changed as you spent more time baking? 
My style has gotten simpler over the years. When baking, you’re always on your feet, so I like things that are easy to wear. I don’t know if it’s a French thing, but there’s a push to wear things I’ve owned for years. I wear the same things I wore five years ago. I like to wear muted tones. I have a ton of silk slip skirts that I like to wear either to bake or go out in it. I’ll pair it with sneakers or a ballerina or heels. I love low-waisted stuff. I’ve always been into low-waisted because I’m not fond of tight clothes. I’ve realized this is who I am and how I like to dress because I keep returning to it. The one thing I can’t decide on is my hair. I’ve been blonde, had long hair, and had no bangs. I can’t figure out what I want.

We can’t talk about your sense of style without mentioning the style of your cakes. What influences them? 
It’s a great hybrid of where I’m from and where I’m at. I grew up in the French countryside watching my mom run a bed-and-breakfast and garden. So my cakes remind me of my mom’s garden. And it’s a very emotional feeling that it evokes. She used to put wild flowers on top of cakes, and the smell of flowers and chocolate reminds me of home. And then they go well together. But I also hate it when people put me in categories, and I think that shows in my cakes. I was French but grew up with a mother from New Zealand, so I never fully fit in. I like that I don’t fit into a certain category, and my cakes change as I grow. That’s why I wanted to have a bakery here because you can do whatever you want. In France, there’s a lot of judging based on credentials, and I didn’t go to culinary school, but here, it’s whatever. Not fitting in growing up helped me now.

Where do you shop? 
I prefer secondhand things. I like to shop at Harley’s on Essex and Grand or at the Brooklyn Flea Market in Dumbo. If I’m shopping from a store I like a place that I know has good basics, like J.Crew, especially their white tees. I have some jewelry from Catbird and I wear the same jewelry every day. My necklace is from my grandmother from my confirmation and then my engagement ring is silver. I like to mix metals because I don’t want to fall into trends, so I wear both at the same time. 

Do you have any style rules you live by or rules you like to break?
I have more rules I like to break than rules I like to follow. It’s a free-for-all for me. I do love it when people wear heels when they’re going out to walk their dog, even in full-on pajamas. I do that and I love it. Heels can go with anything and everything. I don’t love it when things are too thought out; I love it when things are lived in. And I’m not a fan of ripped jeans. I think that’s trauma from my childhood.

What designers do you love right now? 
I tend to love designers I know about or live close to. For example, Sandy Liang and I have a personal relationship. She lives by my husband’s café. Rosie Assoulin, she’s an incredible designer and one of the first people to support my cakes. She launched her bridal-shower collection with my cakes. I love her clothes and they’re well made. Telfar is incredible, I love the OG bag. There’s a designer named Emma at Colbo. The clothes are beautiful and comfortable. And Salter House in Brooklyn; she has such an eye and those clothes are so comfortable to bake in. I want it to be super special because I don’t buy that much new. I don’t have a connection to the more expensive brands, so if I’m not buying it secondhand, I’m not interested.

How do you find new designers?
I read a lot of articles and follow Fashion Week. Living in the Lower East Side, you meet a lot of people who are eager to share what they’re wearing, and I’ll always ask if I see something I like in the wild. I stop people in the street all the time. You always have a friend who has a brand or works in fashion. It’s a relationship as well. If my friend is wearing it, I also want to wear and support it.

What’s a recent trend you’ve been intrigued by? 
I’ve been seeing a lot of low-waisted slims coming back, which will be very interesting. I love capris, and I wear them all the time. I also just got these square eyeglasses that I’ve also seen everywhere.

Last thing you bought? 
I got a Byredo perfume that’s a vanilla-wood scent. And a fitted “I Love LA” T-shirt. I love a tacky tee.

Your aprons are also a statement moment. Where are you getting those from?
I get gifted them all the time. I have a full cupboard at home and probably have 30 or so. My friend got me the “I Heart New York” one. The checkered one is my friend’s brand from France. The other striped one was Rosie Assoulin. And J.Crew embroidered one for me that says “From Lucie” on the front.

If people only get one thing from the bakery, what should they eat?  
You’re making me pick between my babies. It’s still the carrot cake for me.

Lucie’s Wishlist: