Chez 180 serves innovative baking to Westport

Lucy Zuckerman '22, Staff Writer|February 24, 2020

Chez 180, located at 180 Post Road East, is Westports new bakery, serving a wide variety of pastries and other treats. Croissants and cookies are on display.

The smell of fresh baked croissants drifts through the door. The sight of smiling workers and colorful pastries is the first thing to be seen. Chez 180, located at 180 Post Road East is the new bakery that Westport needed.

Jodi Oh is one of the investors that started Chez 180 and is excited about her first restaurant. She and her husband have had other experiences with investment properties such as apartment buildings, but this is her first step into the food industry.

“My family was always in the food business. I am a big foodie, so I came up with this concept and said let’s do it,” Oh said.

Oh talked to people around Westport who desired a great place to eat and that had good coffee, inspiring Chez 180. She then talked to an old friend, Carlos Perez, the previous owner of La Palette Bakery in Watertown, Connecticut. He soon became the executive chef of Chez 180.

“We wanted to do this the right way and make sure that the community likes everything that we do,” Oh said.

The Chez 180 menu offers a large variety of choices including artisanal coffees, breakfast foods, lunch and pastries. Yogurt, crepes, toast boards and breakfast sandwiches are served for breakfast. The bakery will be serving lunch which includes all sorts of fun sandwiches. Additionally, they have scones, muffins, cinnamon buns and all types of other desserts. According to the Chez 180 website, the dishes are homemade from fresh local ingredients.

“What’s new about this is our desserts are really, really, really, really good, like they are really, really good,” Oh said.

Chez 180 offers a dessert tower as well, inspired by the customer’s preferences. First the customer will pick a primary dessert, such as chocolate mousse or red velvet cake. Then, the chef will hand design a desert tower specific to the choices made. The chef will add on other surprise desserts including muffins, cream puffs or cotton candy.

Oh’s hope is for teens in the community to enjoy the full experience of a dessert tower and tell friends to order one as well.

“I think that a bakery would be a great addition to Westport because we don’t really have any bakeries in Westport as of right now,” Chloe Nevas ’22 said. “I think that Chez 180 is going to be a really fun place to go because it has a cool atmosphere and because there’s such a large menu.”

Oh and the rest of Chez 180 are trying to incorporate a larger menu and a modern feel that Westport has not been exposed to yet. The bakery will constantly be updating to what the customers are asking for.

“[We are hoping to] provide an artistic and culinary gift of food to the community,” Oh said. “[We are also hoping to] be here for a long time.”