It's safe to say hearts across Buffalo broke when Chef Camille Le Caer closed down Pastry by Camille on Hertel Avenue, but if you head to Chandler Street, you can learn a thing or two about macaroons and more. 

On the third floor of 27 Chandler, Camille Le Caer sits at a table, waiting to chat with you, Buffalo. It’s something he’s longed for but it wasn’t quite possible at the pastry shop.

“Ah, no because I am behind the crepes, like, ’It’s me Frenchie,’” Chef Camille Le Caer laughed.

It was just one reason he decided to close up shop. The pandemic didn’t make things easier, either.

"I’m branded by Pastry by Camille, but I want to be overall, Chef Camille,” Le Caer said.

More family time was on the menu, too. So, enter Shana Maldonado. She rents the ghost kitchen on Chandler for her meal prep business Built without Guilt.

“A lot of my clients who get meals from me are fans,” Maldonado said.

They’re currently collaborating on a party dinner. Le Caer loved the space, and the rest has been simmering.

“We have a table in the back, we have a beautiful stove, you can see me face to face,” Le Caer said.

Oh, and there’s a story about that stove and the popcorn machine.

“Fantasy Island was closing and I got linked up with equipment,” Maldonado said.

She calls it a thrifters special,” Maldonado smiled.

While Le Caer teaches you, he is looking forward to learning about you as well. He says that is the key ingredient to this new business.

“You can learn so much about sharing a meal with someone,” Le Caer said. “I just had a dinner two nights ago with a fantastic couple, they had a beautiful garden with thyme, basil, and tomatoes.”

Le Caer said he’s connecting to a community that has given him so much through the years.

“I owe them that, and it was just beautiful to sit with my guests and share a meal,” Le Caer said.

Le Caer hopes to have lessons up and cooking a couple of weeks. The cost is $50 per person.