Bethlehem entrepreneur bringing renowned bakery to Lehigh Valley

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Lan Ma remembers the scents, sights, and surroundings of the Paris Baguette bakery cafe she and her children regularly visited years ago in Edison, N.J.   

“When my children were growing up, we always went to the Paris Baguette,” said Ma, now a Bethlehem-based entrepreneur. “For birthdays or any special occasion, we would always go and pick out our cakes. It’s our happy place.”   

Even more of a happy place now, as Ma prepares to open the first Paris Baguette in the Lehigh Valley. Her desire to be a franchisee stems from experiences she and her children shared in their many visits to the bakery cafe.   

“It’s a part of our lives as Asian-Americans and it has so many childhood memories for my children,” said Ma. “We always enjoy the aroma, and the myriad baked goods are not anything I have experienced anywhere else.   

“When I told my two older children what we were going to do they couldn’t be more excited. We just want to share the happiness, the experience, the exquisite baked goods, the atmosphere, and all the charity work we can do. We’re very excited to bring the Paris Baguette experience to the Lehigh Valley,” added Ma.   

After raising her two oldest children, Ma had two more children in her 50s. The longtime IBM project manager also began considering new possibilities outside her home. Ma’s social interaction was limited due to her working at home since 2004. Lacking a social circle, she found one in a local Facebook group.   

“I got introduced to Facebook in January 2023, and I joined a Facebook group called Lehigh Valley Women of Adventure,” said Ma. “I was looking to incorporate more activities and be more active in my life. I thought this sounded like a good group, so I joined and within a week I started participating in their activities.   

“It’s an understatement to say this group totally changed my life. I was a single parent raising two children and I really did not have a social support system. I started making friends and I saw the impact of a community. It really changed my whole outlook on life.”  

Ma recalls a moment when it seemed “like a light bulb went off in my mind.”   

She saw an opportunity to build on her entrepreneurial experiences and create a place where people can gather and enjoy fresh pastries, cakes, and bread.  

“I’m kind of what you can call a serial entrepreneur,” said Ma. “Paris Baguette is the 11th LLC I’ve registered in Pennsylvania. I guess I’m somewhat successful so I can play with bigger adventures.”   

Including a bakery, which she said isn’t her strong suit.   

“I’m not one who has always wanted to open a bakery,” said Ma. “I baked here and there but that’s not one of my passions. But the passion that led me to explore this opportunity of bringing a Paris Baguette into the Lehigh Valley is the experience that was offered to me via the Lehigh Valley Women of Adventure and how a community can change and enhance people’s lives.”   

Because of her full-time job at IBM, Ma will not be working at her Paris Baguette. Instead, she’s hiring professional management, bakers, and staff to follow the blueprints and template Paris Baguette offers.   

“It’s going to be a great adventure that we’re all going to participate in,” Ma said. “We can’t wait to share it with all the people in the Lehigh Valley.”   

She said her two older children will re-live the memories of Paris Baguette and her two younger children will grow up around their own Paris Baguette.    

“It’s one of the great life gifts I can present to them,” said Ma.  

Listed on its site as a French-inspired cafe with South Korean roots, Paris Baguette franchised to the U.S. in 2005 and has more than 4,000 locations across the world. The Bethlehem unit is planned to open in February at 30 W. Broad St.  

“Bethlehem is the classic Christmas city, and it’s a magical town with so much history,” Ma said.  “Our site is in downtown Bethlehem, a block from the Hotel Bethlehem. We will be the first tenant in a brand-new development. We have street-front access, so it feels like a dream.”  

Ma said the 4,000 square feet site is one of the largest Paris Baguette units.   

“The scale is something I’ve not handled before, that’s why I chose a franchise so I could learn their expertise,” she said. “They’re a very reputable and very profitable operation and that’s why I chose them – to learn and follow their practices.   

“I envision this venture as our hope that we bring the Paris Baguette experience to the people of Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley, and they will build good memories and experiences around the establishment and use the site to enhance the wonderful community we have in the Lehigh Valley.”