Beloved French-inspired restaurant with New York roots opens in West Palm Beach

New York City's beloved, French-inspired, all-day café, Maman, will open the doors to a West Palm Beach location on Monday, Aug. 12.

Founded by Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte in 2014, the café's newest venue is in the heart of CityPlace, one of West Palm Beach's top entertainment, dining and retail destinations.

Director of marketing Andrea Szot said that Marshall and Sormonte moved from New York to Miami earlier this year and that West Palm Beach had been on their radar as a prime area in which to expand.

“When coming to South Florida, we knew Maman was destined to be in West Palm Beach. The area's vibrant and diverse community, along with its picturesque setting, aligns seamlessly with Maman's ethos," Marshall said.

Szot also said that they've had many longtime customers from New York who relocated to the area in the last few years and were constantly asking "Will you ever open in West Palm Beach? You would do so good here."

Maman means 'mother' in French

Maman, which means "mother" in French, is the melding of the founding partners' memories of their childhood in the kitchen and the recipes their mothers created. This, combined with a passion for food excellence and a flawless experience in a warm setting, is the core of their brand.

That 'warm setting' doesn't just happen. The restaurant boasts imported French antique furniture and decor that draws inspiration from the provincial South of France. This includes custom handmade hanging light fixtures made from seashells, and natural materials, along with hand-stenciled floors and walls.

In a nod to the local South Florida vegetation, whimsical floral installations by Floratorium will adorn the walls and ceilings, incorporating Spanish moss and air plants to create banyan-esque style trees. They will also have custom, toile-printed espresso machines for the location and imported blue and white tiles on the counter façade and in the bathrooms.

Along with an impressively decorated interior, Maman West Palm Beach will take advantage of South Florida's weather with a large outdoor seating area.

Whether you're looking to grab a coffee, enjoy an espresso while working, socialize with friends for lunch or have cocktails with brunch on the weekend, Maman will be all these places in one.

The menu features coffees, teas, juices, pastries (baked fresh, in-house daily), sandwiches, tartines, salads, soups and classics like the daily quiche, omelettes, belgian waffles, overnight oats, and more.

If you're new to Maman, Szot had a few suggestions for a first visit: Try the Raquel's kale Ceasar salad with roasted chicken, shaved parmesan, country bread croutons and pickled onions with house-made Ceasar dressing and the everything croissant and salmon sandwich which features smoked salmon, fresh herbs and 'everything bagel' seasoning.

In addition to a wide variety of staple croissant offerings including plain, almond, pistachio chocolate and pain au, Maman does a seasonal croissant as well.

For the South Florida market, Maman has several area-specific offerings including their honey lavender latte and a guava mint lemonade.

Featuring cocktails, beer and wine, Maman West Palm Beach will have happy hour every day. On weekdays it will run from 3 to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 4 to 6 p.m. It features $8 classic cocktails and wine.

During the week, Maman West Palm Beach features counter service where you order, sit down and they bring it out to you and on the weekends there's a traditional, seated brunch service.

Thinking about attending the grand opening at 7:30 a.m. at CityPlace?

Freebies offered at West Palm Beach's grand opening of French-inspired restaurant Maman

They will be giving away tote bags and a cookie to the first 100 customers paying customers. Also, they will be offering their "le croissant des families" or giant croissants. Available for only one day and limited to two per person, these massive delicacies will sell for $25.

This will be the 37th Maman to open across the country and they are still owned by founders Marshall and Sormonte.

Maman at CityPlace in West Palm Beach

Where: 473 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach

Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Information:mamannyc.com/locations/west-palm-beach

Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: New York City's Maman French restaurant opens in West Palm Beach