French Baker in Barra

I will preface this post with: I had been warned!

Cruiser friends told me the stories. They said I better have plenty of pesos to support the addiction. Hotspur just entered the Barra lagoon and had not even dropped her anchor yet when Carolyne placed an order to the French Baker.                                                                                                                          "Four almond croissants, please, and a baguette."

The French Baker arrived with boxes of baked delights in hand. They are definitely a cruisers treat... because they are not cheap. But I had heard the rumors and told the French Baker emphatically that I must have his crusty goods and cream filled goodies.

My marriage took a turn for the worse when Jim tried to put a stop to my madness. It's not that I made goo-goo eyes at the Baker's wares; it's how much I spent. The croissants and baguettes are 25 pesos each, which is roughly $2.15 US. That doesn't sound like much, but by day two Hotspur had spent $25 in bakery goods. YOUCH! But the French Baker won out and I told my husband that no one would stand between me and the French Baker's croissants!

It is ironic that The French Baker is who I would talk about while in Mexico, but he needs mentioning. When you are anchored in Barra de Navidad, every morning the French Baker calls on channel 22 to take orders. Almond croissants, mini chocolate pies, mouth watering baguettes, olive bread... the list is endless. Cruisers respond by placing orders every morning and the French Baker delivers directly to your boat via panga. His service and products are remarkable. Divine. Decadent. Definitely... Fattening.

I heard through the grapevine that the French Baker hails from Montreal and just opened up shop 6 years ago: El Horno Frances (the French Oven). (The grapevine was apparently wrong and the French Baker is a real Frenchman and opened up shop 8 years ago) Since our arrival to Barra, I have had to par down my culinary relationship with the French Baker because Jim says I'm spending us into the cruiser's poorhouse. Sadly, my husband is right (this time) and I have had to turn the French Baker away to stand by my marriage vows. Jim says that "for richer" is fine, but "for poorer" might land me a job at McDonald's. So, I will sacrifice.