There’s a certain romanticism to the idea of a European café: unhurried mornings with a cappuccino and a freshly baked croissant, afternoons with a friend and artisanal sandwiches. Sandra Aboujaoude, co-owner of La Belle Terre Bakery & Cafe, knows the experience well. She was born and raised in Yugoslavia and Germany and learned how to bake at age 6. When she came to Las Vegas a few years ago to compete in bodybuilding, she knew she eventually wanted to pursue her passion for baking.
“When [opening] up a shop, I wanted everything to be made in-house, from the ranch dressing to all the jams to the apricots in the danishes. Even [for] the tuna salad mix, we buy fresh tuna, we boil it and then we put it in the mix and season it,” Aboujaoude says. And while it’s extra work to make everything from scratch, she says it’s worth it because it tastes better and it’s better for you.
That emphasis on unprocessed simplicity has made La Belle Terre a favorite for its vast selection of baked goods and European-inspired bites, like quiche and sweet or savory crepes. The shelves are lined with loaves of bread, croissants, danishes and sweet rolls, while the pastry cases showcase such treats as eclairs, mille-feuilles, profiteroles and macarons. Everything is made by Aboujaoude and her two bakers well before dawn, seven days a week.
Stop by La Belle Terre for a treat. You might wind up lingering longer than you’d planned.
LA BELLE TERRE BAKERY & CAFE 8390 W. Sahara Ave. #130, 702-685-7712. Daily, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
