Crowd-Pleasing Crepes At the Daily Plaza

By: Maggie Mahar

On any given Thursday before 7 am, something truly wonderful manifests itself in the center of Chicago’s Daley Plaza. Much like a mystifying circus that arrives in the middle of the night, the Daley Plaza transforms itself into a Farmer’s Market. Various white tents pop up as vendors display an array of vegetables, fresh fruits, and numerous baked confections; all of this and more at the fingertips of locals, tourists, and various businessmen and women.

This past Thursday, not even the extreme temperatures could stop people from milling about the small market. While business seems to fluctuate from the time it opens until the time it closes, one stand in particular seemed to be the epicenter of consistent activity.

That stand is Crêpes Paname, the brainchild of two French chefs, Marc Talleux and Jean-Claude Baldassari. A growing line touches the Brunkow Cheese of Wisconsin stand, leaving market goers no choice but to maneuver around them while selecting assorted cheeses.

“Today is even busier than usual,” says 34-year-old Talleux. He takes a white ladle and lowers it into a vat of batter before letting it drip onto a large crêpe pan. He’s making a banana and Nutella crêpe that looks as savory as it tastes. “I think people like that we make our crêpes in front of them and that they are made with the freshest, most organic ingredients possible.”

Talleux is referring to his sidekick, 37-year-old Baldassari, who has been cooking with him for many years now. “We created Crêpes Paname in 2011. It was based on one concept. Everything is handmade and everything is French.” Talleux points to the large crêpe pans, which resemble something you might find off a street truck in France. “These were made in France and that was an important factor when building up our business. We wanted to make it as authentic as possible.”

A crêpe is a very large, very thin pancake, typically cooked on a flat, circular surface and then topped with almost anything. One might consider the crêpe a highly popular and respected dish throughout France.

Baldassari and Talleux offer a variety of options, from apples sautéed with dulce de leche to Wisconsin goat cheese with a homemade tapenade. Both Talleux and Baldassari conceived all of the recipes and actively come up with new ones.

“That’s half the fun,” says Baldassari. “Cooking is my passion and it’s something that I always want to do. I always want to come up with more ways to cook crêpes and I like to think our menu showcases that we are willing to take risks and push boundaries when it comes to our cooking.”

Connor Peacock, a local, has been waiting in line for fifteen minutes, but doesn’t feel like it’s a waste of time. “I’m always in this area and I’ve been coming to this market for a couple years now. These guys are absolute geniuses. Their crêpes are phenomenal.” Peacock usually gets the butter, sugar, and lemon combination. But today he opts for something a little more daring: Parmesan, cheddar, and goat cheese with black pepper and strips of tender ham. Talleux constructs the crêpe with precision then rolls up the gooey and delicious creation before handing it to Peacock. Cheese oozes over as light pink strips of ham poke out from either end. “This is incredible,” he says after the first bite. “Words cannot do this justice.” Peacock is just one of the many costumers who leave Crêpes Paname satisfied.

“That’s the best part,” says Baldassari. “Repeating costumers are what make me know that we are doing something right.”

On average, Baldassari and Talleux see about a hundred people each Thursday. But the numbers are growing. “Last Thursday we ran out of strawberries. I was disappointed but kind of excited at the same time,” says Talleux. “We need to start buying more things now that the demand for our crêpes continues to grow.”

The Daley Plaza Farmer’s Market, located on Washington and Dearborn runs from 7am to 3pm, through May until late October.