Local food truck brings a Parisian touch to local graduation parties.
When it came time for her oldest son to graduate from high school, Toni Schwitters had a unique idea to make his grad party extra special. “I thought that would be such a fun experience to have a food truck,” Schwitters says.
But not just any food truck would do. Schwitters wanted to bring a touch of France to their Plymouth home, and she knew who to contact to make that happen: The Crepe Lady.
Her actual name is Florence Aymard, and her food truck is called Crepe and Cake, but she doesn’t mind being known as “The Crepe Lady.” Aymard is a crepe master, and for the past 10 years, she has run the only registered crepe food truck in Minnesota. “This is something I always wanted to do,” she says.
“It’s not just about food,” Aymard says. “It’s about enjoying life.”
Aymard moved to Plymouth from Paris in January 2014 when her husband got a job in the United States. “We came to live the American Dream,” she says.
“I was not a baker or a pastry chef in France,” Aymard says. “I became one in Minnesota.”
She also became a hockey mom, and that’s where she met Schwitters. Their boys played together for Wayzata Youth Hockey and, in time, Schwitters learned about Aymard’s crepe business. “It was always in the back of my mind to try her crepes,” Schwitters says.
Aymard grew up eating her grandmother’s crepes—a delicately thin type of pancake made from flour, milk and eggs that can be rolled or folded and stuffed with fillings. When she arrived in Minnesota, she knew she wanted to offer a taste of home to the Twin Cities. Aymard started that same year, selling crepes at the Plymouth and Maple Grove farmers markets.
“Everything I like, I put it on the menu,” Aymard says.
Among the best-selling crepes Aymard offers are Nutella, strawberry/Nutella, strawberry/banana, whiskey cream/salted caramel as well as a savory variety with ham and cheese. “I keep it French,” she says.
Ham and Cheese Crepe
The key to a good crepe is “very simple,” Aymard says. “It needs to be mixed very well, and the pan needs to be very hot.”
Though not many of the Schwitters’ graduation party guests had tried crepes before, the food truck was a giant success. “The presentation was wonderful, and the portions were great,” Schwitters says. “I have three boys, so I knew it needed to be something satisfying for teenage boys.”
Aymard offers a smaller menu of favorites for bookings that include three sweet crepes and three savory crepes. At the end of the event, she tallies up the number of crepes served to determine the overall price for the party host.
“Our group loved the Nutella and the ham and cheese,” says Schwitters, noting that many guests went back for seconds and thirds, and Aymard handled the crowds with ease. “She was so efficient, even doing it all by herself,” Schwitters says. She chalked up much of that to preparation. “She was good at communicating before the event and making sure she would have the right amount for everyone,” she says.
“I make it very simple,” Aymard says. “I just need room for the truck.”
Nutella and Banana Crepe
Aymard provided everything the Schwitters needed to enjoy the crepes, including the paper cones and napkins. “It took the stress off my husband and I,” Schwitters says.
Aymard, who operates Crepe and Cake from March through October (weather depending), can tackle up to two events a day in the height of summer. She recommends booking her as soon as possible to ensure your specific date is available.
Schwitters has two more graduation parties to go for her boys, and she already knows who she’ll be calling. “She’s such a lovely person,” Schwitters says of Aymard. “She represents France quite well.”
Crepe and Cake
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