For Julie Brami, L’Atelier Philly began with an unexpected turning point.
After being laid off in 2023 following 14 years in the corporate world, Julie decided to return home to Paris and study boulangerie at Le Cordon Bleu. What started as a moment of transition became a deeper pursuit of something more tangible, wholesome, and personal.
“I gradually started sharing my passion, organizing events around the shared love of baking and gathering,” she says.
Today, L’Atelier Philly is both a bakery and a baking workshop in Manayunk. The name means “the workshop” or “the studio” in French, which fits the spirit of the space: a place designed not only for baked goods, but for people to come together around food.
Rooted in the traditions of French cuisine and shaped by Philadelphia’s creative energy, L’Atelier offers weekly baking classes, Friday afternoon bakery retail, and private events. Julie describes her customers as mothers and daughters, couples, and friends who want to bond over baking.
For her, the work is both technical and artistic. It is also deeply relational.
“I love feeding others and meeting new neighbors every day while doing something that is both technical and artistic,” she says.
Manayunk has played an important role in the story so far. Julie says the neighbors and community have been welcoming, and that she feels grateful to be there. Inside the space, a few personal details help ground the business in her own journey, including Parisian decor and a photo of Julie with her mom at graduation.
When asked what memory stands out most since starting the business, Julie says it is less about one single moment and more about the feeling of watching a team form around her.
“I love seeing the team form around me, interact, and surround myself with incredibly talented people,” she says.
That sense of collaboration, gathering, and shared experience is at the heart of L’Atelier. It is a bakery, yes, but it is also a place to learn, connect, and make something with your hands.
Looking ahead, Julie is actively exploring a storefront space with the goal of expanding retail hours. For now, L’Atelier continues to grow from its Manayunk home, one class, one bake, and one shared table at a time.
