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6th Annual APS Chandeleur Party

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Three Events • One Delicious Tradition • Something for Everyone!

Joins us Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, for the 6th Annual APS Chandeleur Party! In French culture, this holiday commemorates the “halfway through winter” point (and is the source of the United States’ Groundhog Day tradition), and is celebrated with cider and crêpes!

Once again, we’re offering three unique events so French connoisseurs of every age can celebrate in a setting that suits them best. Each session includes activities that help you discover how French families celebrate this warm, joyful tradition!

Immersion Adventure for Little Ones: Ages 0-5

Learn about Chandeleur though a French immersion class designed especially for children ages 0-5. We’ll enjoy songs, stories, explore our favorite crêpe toppings and engage in hands-on activities tailored to keep the youngest learners involved and delighted.

Culinary Enrichment: Make Your Own Crêpes – Family

Bring your favorite toppings and spend the afternoon making savory and sweet crêpes with your family. It’s a relaxed, delicious way to learn a beloved French tradition together!

Culinary Enrichment: Make Your Own Crêpes – Adults

Prefer a relaxed experience with friends, or a festive date-night activity? At this BYOB-friendly adult session, you’ll enjoy good company, bring your favorite toppings and spend the afternoon making both savory and sweet crêpes.

6th Annual APS Carnaval Celebration

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Join us Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, for the 6th Annual APS Carnaval Celebration! Lansing-area French culture enthusiasts will have a chance to take part in one of the biggest parties in the world – Carnaval! This explosion of color, music and food is the big lead-up to Mardi Gras, and while most Michiganders will be indulging in paczki, we’ll commemorate this annual feast with authentic French beignets!

This family-friendly event is designed to offer something fun for every age group:

Immersion Class for Little Ones (Ages 0-5)

A lively French-immersion session filled with songs, movement and age-appropriate activities to keep the youngest learners engaged and smiling.

Craft Table for Older Kids

Children ages 5+ can let their imaginations run wild as they create the perfect accessory for their Carnaval costume — masks, crowns and colorful decorations inspired by Mardi Gras traditions.

Beignet Demo

Families will also have the chance to watch how beignets are made, providing a delicious window into a beloved French celebration.

8th Annual APS King Cake Party

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Three Events • One Delicious Tradition • Something for Everyone

Next month, we’re once again celebrating the new year with the 8th Annual APS King Cake Party! We’re bringing back all your favorites and adding even more ways to celebrate.

No matter which event you choose, the star of the day shines at the heart of it all:
la galette des rois (king cake), the iconic pastry of France’s traditional Épiphanie celebration.
Each session includes activities that help you discover how French families celebrate this beloved holiday.

Immersion Adventure for Little Ones: Kids 0-5

A mini French immersion class for kids 0–5 with songs, stories and hands-on activities to discover la galette des rois and the traditions of Épiphanie.

Culinary Enrichment: Make Your Own King Cakes – Families

Learn how to prepare authentic king cakes in a fun, guided baking session. Each table receives supplies to make three mini galettes, including a porcelain charm and crown … because someone must be king or queen!

Culinary Enrichment: Make Your Own King Cakes – Adults

Prefer a relaxed session with friends or a festive date night?
Join our BYOB-friendly adult session, enjoy good company and bake your galettes with a glass of wine, cider or beverage of your choice.

What’s a viennoiserie?

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If you’ve been paying attention this week, you should by now be able to tell the difference between a viennoiserie and a pastry (pâtisserie). If not, now’s your chance to catch up. Bet you’ll never look at the confections in a bakery’s display case the same way! 

But what actually makes for an authentic French viennoiserie? Is it anything made with puff pastry or leavened dough with a crunchy exterior and a soft interior? Not … necessarily. And keep in mind, except for croissants and brioche, true viennoiseries may be called something else in the U.S. So keep your eyes peeled, and if you have a regular bakery that you go to, be sure to ask the purveyor if any of the items are viennoiserie.

The most common (Gaëlle approved!) viennoiseries are: 

I haven’t been able to find some of them in town, but maybe we can inspire the French bakeries in town to expand their menu! 

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It’s a brioche kinda day

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Today, we will talk about another breakfast treat, the traditional brioche. It’s a rich bread that contains extra eggs, milk and butter. The result is a soft and lightly sweet bread that can be eaten alone or used in sweet and savory dishes. I can’t wait to hear about the amazing ways you use your brioche! 

Breadsmith in Okemos is THE place in town to get brioche. However, when I stopped in today to get one (admittedly, my first time there in over a year), I was DEVASTATED to find that they stopped making them after the onset of the pandemic. To maximize his minimal staff, owner Kent Seggebruch has temporarily (fingers crossed) downsized his menu, and his brioche didn’t make the cut. But with any luck, it will be back soon! In the meantime, Breadsmith continues to make the best baguettes in town, which I confirmed when I went in today. Hey, I couldn’t leave empty-handed! 

If you like this event, please share it so more people can learn about French culture (and French pastries.) And make sure to follow us on social media or check our website for the latest updates. I know we are all sad that the French Culture Appreciation Week is almost over.

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The star (well, crescent moon) of French pastries!

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For Day 3 of French Culture Appreciation Week, let’s talk about croissants! Over the years, French bakers got creative with these prime examples of viennoiseries, and you now find croissants filled with sweet choices (such as almond paste and chocolate) or savory items (including ham, turkey and cheese.) Some people even use croissants instead of bread for making sandwiches. The options are endless!

Chapelure in East Lansing’s Hannah Plaza and Breadsmith in Okemos both offer a large selection of croissants. And if you stop by this week, make sure to mention Aux Petits Soins to the baristas! 

If you like this event, please share it so more people can learn about French culture (and French pastries.) And make sure to follow us on social media or check our website for the latest updates, including the French pastry we’ll be talking about tomorrow!

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Get your chocolate on!

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Today, I’d like to introduce you to the pain au chocolat (pah oh shock-oh-lah), also known as chocolatine in the southwest of France and in Quebec (or chocolate croissant in the U.S.). French people actually argue about the name of this delicious treat, but they all agree — the pain au chocolat is one of the best examples of viennoiseries (vee-yay nwah-zree), a type of pastry made with the same type of leavened butter dough as a croissant. However, pain au chocolat has a rectangular shape, and (the best part) it has chocolate in the center!

You can find this delicious viennoiserie at Chapelure in East Lansing’s Hannah Plaza or Breadsmith in Okemos. If you stop by this week, make sure to mention Aux Petits Soins to the baristas.

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French Culture Appreciation Week is back !

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Welcome to the Second Annual French Culture Appreciation Week! This year’s theme is something I’m sure you’re going to like, but first let me give you a little background. 

My name is Gaëlle Cassin-Ross and I’m the owner of Aux Petits Soins, a French cultural center in Lansing. I moved to the area from France in 2009 and fell in love with Lansing, so I stayed and decided to raise my family here. My love for this city is not a secret — I even wrote a love letter to Lansing!  

One of the reason I #lovelansing so much is because of all the international small businesses that exist side-by-side here — it’s almost as though you can travel around the world on a single shopping trip. So this year, for our second French Culture Appreciation Week, I decided to take you on an adventure around town to discover (or rediscover, as the case may be), French pastries. Every day at 1 p.m., I’ll share a post highlighting a different French pastry somewhere in town, with the first one being my favorite breakfast treat, pain aux raisins (pah oh ray-zoh), otherwise known as a raisin roll. 

Pain aux raisins is a variant of the croissant or pain au chocolat. It’s made with leavened butter pastry, raisins and crème pâtissière, and twisted into a spiral shape. It’s often topped with either a sweet glaze or apricot jam. The raisins bring sweetness to this viennoiserie while the crème pâtissière brings moisture. And yes, it’s as good as it sounds! The spiral shape makes this pastry look enormous in comparison with croissant or pain au chocolat. 

Now, where can you find pain aux raisins in Lansing? Look no further than Chapelure in East Lansing’s Hannah Plaza. And if you stop by this week, make sure to mention Aux Petits Soins to the two amazing baristas, Erik or Brooklyn, who will welcome you with a large smile! 
If you like this event, make sure to share it widely so more people can learn about French pastries. And make sure to follow us on social media or check our website for the latest updates!

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