When you buy a sweet treat from Paris Bakery Garden on South College Street, you're not just enjoying freshly baked goods--you're also donating funds to mission work around the world.
"We're trying to make money to contribute to missionary work to people who are suffering financially and mentally," said Abraham Min, who owns the bakery.
Before opening the bakery, Abraham, 48, and his wife Sarah, 44, lived in Texas and crossed the border into Mexico to help establish a Christian leadership mission school.
The couple plans on supporting missionary work with most of the income from their baking, and they said they knew Auburn was the right place to open their bakery.
"I love this town," Abraham said.
In the process of following their vision, Abraham has made the career switch from being a cattle researcher at Texas A&M to being a full-time baker.
The Mins have a lot of experience in European-style baking.
For several years, Sarah worked as a manager of Crown Bakery in Korea. She has also studied baking in France.
"The woman who bakes all of the bread, Sarah, is Wonder Woman," said baker Amanda Elliot, junior in international business. "She gets here at 6 a.m. every day, goes home at 9 every night, and for half of the day she has a 2-year-old strapped to her back.
"She's just nonstop every day, never taking a break. She's really fun to work with."
Sarah has also traveled to Australia and the Philippines to do mission work.
Abraham and Sarah also plan to provide a scholarship for an individual who would otherwise lack the funds to obtain an education.
Their focus is on molding a positive leader in Mexico and ultimately in the world, Abraham said.
Types of breads, pastries, sandwiches, bagels and sushi are just a taste of what the bakery offers.
"You almost have to come in every day to catch all of the stuff they're putting out," Elliot said. "I think right now they're trying to get a feel for what everyone likes, so they try different things every day."
Elliot noticed the bakery offers a lot of the baked goods she encountered while studying abroad in Japan. She said many of the goods offered, bean buns in particular, cannot be found anywhere else in the area.
"The food is a mixture of French, Korean and American every once in a while," she said.
The baked goods are made from scratch and are prepared fresh, Abraham said.
He said they only bake with natural ingredients and avoid adding any chemicals to their food.
The bakery's birthday cakes are low in sugar content.
Real wine added to the wine bread improves its quality, texture and color.
Mocha bread is Elliot's favorite delight the bakery offers.
Elliot said she is constantly honing her baking skills.
"I work 10 hours a day, and it feels like no time at all," Elliot said. "The atmosphere is very relaxed. They having a saying--you work like family, we treat you like family--and they really do. It's adorable. It's like having a second set of parents."
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