Lagniappe Bakehouse

On most Tuesday mornings, you can find Kaitlin Guerin browsing the uptown farmer’s market, chatting with vendors while grabbing bundles of the seasonal fruits and greens that make their way into her pastries and quiches at Lagniappe Bakehouse, which opened in late 2024.

A former dancer turned pastry chef, Guerin left the performing arts to attend culinary school, after which she worked stints at Michelin-starred restaurants in Copenhagen and the Bay Area, eventually returning home to New Orleans. 

Lagniappe began as a pop-up during the pandemic. Now, the bakery sits set back in a small tall townhouse in Central City, a sprawling old oak casting shade on its courtyard tables. Intensely community-focused, Guerin collaborates with local farmers and Black-owned businesses in New Orleans whenever possible. 

On any given day, quiches may be filled with collard greens, yams, or cauliflower, and laden with biquinho and Jimmy Nardello peppers. Danishes might have seasonal fruits or savory spring mixes. Other customer favorites include the latticed Vaucroissant, featuring sausage from a family-run, seventh-ward provider, toffee cookies with benne seeds, and a Grain of Paradise bun spiked with citrus and West African spices.