- Your Hunter Valley Magazine
Your New Fave Parisian Café – in Pokolbin!
If you’re missing Europe and love the idea of watching the world go by in a Parisian café, nibbling on treats that only the French can create, then you need to visit the authentically French patisserie, Gigi & Chix BonBon in the Hunter Valley Gardens, where the flavour and experience are most definitely European.
Angela Mason (pictured below), who originally hails from Zimbabwe, is passionate about food and expressing her love of life through sharing her culinary creations. She has been cooking from the youngest age and thanks her mother for allowing her ultimate freedom in the kitchen.
Angela and her two young daughters, Gigi (four) and Chix (seven), (who she adores, “they are delicious to me”), spent a year living in Bordeaux, France, where she was inspired by a local patisserie with an open kitchen. Angela and her girls felt at home there and learnt from watching and talking to the chefs. When it was time to return home, she wanted others to experience the same joy she had felt in Bordeaux, and Gigi & Chix BonBon was born.
Angela secured a space at Hunter Valley Gardens and set about creating her vision, working daily with the builders and letting her girls see the hard work that goes into building a dream. The space is beautiful, the crockery gorgeous, and the napkins comfortingly soft. Every detail has been carefully considered to bring the European flair for style and comfort to the Hunter Valley. There is an open kitchen so that customers can watch her delectable creations coming to life. Children in particular love watching and sometimes get to pop the bubbles on the macaroons. Everyone asks questions, and Angela loves to answer them.
Seeing the shock and delighted surprise on her customers' faces as they bite into one of her delicious offerings is one of Angela’s favourite things. Often people have a preconceived notion of what something will taste like, and their expectations are pre-set. Angela delights in smashing these expectations with her commitment to never compromising on taste and delivering something you won’t find anywhere else.
With a loyal and growing customer base, Angela is looking forward to extending her opening hours to include Friday and Saturday evenings now that she has secured a liquor licence. She plans Fondue and Wine evenings that promise to whisk you away to Europe without the need to travel anywhere. The future may include an expansion to Newcastle, where many of her repeat customers come from.
Her best-selling product is the humble Ham & Cheese Croissant because it's unlike any you’ve ever tasted before. A Vanilla Slice at Gigi & Chix BonBon does not look like an ordinary vanilla slice; it includes white chocolate, the flakiest of pastry and a secret ingredient that has diners moaning in ecstasy.
A visit to Gigi & Chix BonBon is unforgettable. Why not book in for a delicious High Tea by visiting
