Husband-and-Wife Team Brings Paris Baguette to Coral Springs

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Paris Baguette {courtesy CSCCRC}

A husband-and-wife team is trading corporate careers for croissants as they prepare to open Broward County’s first Paris Baguette in Coral Springs.

Chris and Kim Shin will officially open the bakery-café on Wednesday at 3326 North University Drive, bringing a concept they have enjoyed for years in cities across the country closer to their South Florida home.

The couple moved to Broward County six years ago after having lived in and visited areas where Paris Baguette was already well established, including California, New York, and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

For Chris and Kim, opening the Coral Springs location represents a significant career change. Their professional backgrounds include management consulting and biotech startups, but the couple said they eventually reached a point where they wanted to build something together that felt more connected to the community around them.

“Kim and I had always shared a passion for food and hospitality,” Chris told Coral Springs Talk.

“We reached a point in our careers where it made sense for us to choose to either continue in corporate or start building something together that felt more personal, tangible, and connected to our everyday community.”

The idea of operating a neighborhood bakery was especially appealing because of the role such businesses can play in customers’ everyday lives, whether someone is grabbing coffee before work, stopping in with their children after school, or picking up a cake for a birthday.

Their journey toward opening the Coral Springs Paris Baguette began in 2023.

“We grew up eating Paris Baguette, so it has always had a special place in our hearts,” Chris said.

The brand stood out to the couple because of its mix of pastries, freshly baked breads, cakes, sandwiches, and drinks. At the Coral Springs store, pastries and breads will be baked in-house each morning, while customers can watch cakes being prepared through windows into the cake-decorating room.

Sandwiches will also be prepared using breads and baguettes baked at the café.

The Shins told Coral Springs Talk they saw an opportunity in Coral Springs for an all-day bakery-café that could serve as both a quick stop and a gathering place.

“Broward County has many wonderful food businesses, but we felt there was room in the Coral Springs area for this particular kind of all-day neighborhood bakery café,” Chris said.

The couple specifically chose Coral Springs because of its mix of families, young professionals, students and longtime residents.

As Broward County residents themselves, the Shins said they also wanted their first location to be somewhere they could remain personally involved rather than operate the business from a distance.

When customers walk through the doors, the couple hopes they will see more than a place to purchase pastries and coffee.

“We hope people will meet friends here, bring their families, celebrate milestones and make the café part of their normal routines,” Chris said. “We want it to feel like Coral Springs’ own neighborhood bakery.”

For first-time visitors, Chris recommends starting with the ham and cheese pastry for something savory or the King Cream Donut for something sweet.

His personal cake recommendation is the Blueberry Chiffon Cake, paired with either the café’s ceremonial-grade iced matcha latte or a café latte made with Lavazza coffee beans.

The Coral Springs store is also expected to introduce menu items that are not currently offered at every Paris Baguette location.

The owners said they first want to hear from customers and determine which items resonate most before expanding those offerings. They also plan to develop partnerships with local organizations and become involved in community events.

Interest has already been building ahead of the opening. The Shins said residents have routinely stopped by during construction to ask when the bakery would open, including customers already familiar with Paris Baguette from other cities.

One customer, Chris recalled, told the couple they planned to return on opening day to order a birthday cake for a family member.

“That early enthusiasm has meant a great deal to us,” he said. “It confirms that this is something the community has genuinely been waiting for.”

For the couple, the long-term goal goes beyond sales or expansion.

Success, Chris said, would mean becoming part of the routines and celebrations of Coral Springs residents.

“We want to know our regular guests, watch families return, celebrate milestones with them and create a place where people consistently feel welcomed,” he said. “If residents begin referring to us as ‘their neighborhood bakery,’ that would be one of the most meaningful measures of success for us.”

According to their corporate website, Paris Baguette is pursuing a broader expansion strategy across North America, targeting 1,000 bakery-cafés by 2030.

For the Shins, however, the focus beginning Wednesday will be much closer to home.

“We are ready,” Chris said. “We are happy to see you, and happier to serve you.”

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Ryan Yousefi

Ryan Yousefi has lived in Coral Springs for over 30 years. He has worked as a writer for multiple outlets over the years, including the Miami New Times where he has covered sports and culture since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.