The French Gourmet in North PB has found a new way to reach out to patrons during the pandemic: delivering delicious entrees prepared daily, blast chilled, and ready to be reheated.

“We’ve got a lot of homebound people, and I got the idea of delivering food to them from a church parking lot, then have volunteers take [the meal] the last 500 yards,” said restaurant owner Michel Malecot, who’s working with the Knights of Columbus, a global Catholic fraternal service order, delivering food to Mother of Confidence parishioners in UC. “I started doing it on March 16 every night and on Sundays at noon. We take from two to three to as many as 10 orders.”

Added Malecot: “I do it at a fixed time and people simply come and get their pre-ordered goods, which are bagged here at French Gourmet. Bags are marked with their name and payment status.”

The way it works, said Malecot, is clients order online or call or email him, before he sends them a confirmation and a credit card form and asks them to bring the completed form back when they pick up the order.

“People really appreciate the service and it is a fun and rewarding process to all of us,” he said. “It allows French Gourmet to continue to pay its bills and a fair number of employees.”

Malecot noted his bakery and catering-to-go menus offer simple meals and comfort foods made from scratch in-house daily. 

A typical catering-to-go offering at this time with entrees packaged in oven-ready containers might contain: Delicious soups including French onion, split pea, cream of broccoli, potato leek, beef barley, red bell pepper pear and butternut squash. “We have a wide selection of freshly baked breads, croissants, cookies, breakfast pastries, and dessert pastries as well as quiche, baguette sandwiches and chicken pot pies,” added Malecot pointing out patrons can “grab their favorite bottle of wine from our extensive selection to accompany their meal.”

“If you have a special request just ask,” said Malecot. “The French Gourmet is here to help.”

Order in advance for pick-up in the bakery (960 Turquoise St.) home delivery, or delivery to Our Mother of Confidence by emailing or calling Michel at [email protected], or by calling 858-488-1725, ext. 315 for B.