Logan—Gabriel Anderson was a college student studying abroad when, like many, he found love in Paris. But Anderson’s love wasn’t for a person; it was for crepes.

“I fell in love with European-style crepes,” he says. “I usually got them from the street vendors, which were the best.”

The love story might have ended there, but after Anderson returned home, inspiration hit in the form of an overpriced crepe he bought at an arts festival. It paled in comparison to what he had experienced on the streets of Paris. Anderson says he told his wife that he could make a better crepe, and that comment—paired with their need to find jobs to help sustain them during grad school—would lead the former interior design major into the restaurant business.

“It was honestly something my wife and I just did on a whim to get us through grad school,” says Anderson of the decision. “We always wanted to be entrepreneurs and do our own business, and so we decided to try it out and it worked. It was at a rough time, too. Five and a half years ago was right in the midst of the recession.”

“Looking back on it, it was probably a horrible idea,” he added jokingly.

Two months later they were selling crepes behind a little counter in a coffee shop in Logan. There were some obstacles The Crêpery overcame before it found its niche.  Anderson specifically stressed the importance of reaching out to a more diverse customer base, a lesson he learned after most of his customers—the students at nearby Utah State University—disappeared over fall break. Getting customers to try the savory crepes was another challenge.

“Most of them had never tried it and it was very foreign to them,” says Anderson of his customers’ experience before he won them over. The savory crepes now outsell the sweet.

Now, The Crêpery is a local favorite, with a second location in St. George and third on the way. The popularity comes as no surprise to anyone who has tried one of Anderson’s crepes.

Served in the same Parisian street style that Anderson enjoyed in France, The Crêpery offers a diverse menu of sweet and savory crepe options, from a basic crepe with butter and sugar, to the local favorite, the Pepe Le Pesto, a pesto, parmesan cheese, smoked turkey and roasted red pepper crepe. Anderson also incorporates other international flavors into the crepes, such as cajeta (a Mexican caramel sauce) and skhug (a spicy Yemini condiment).

Offering a taste of the exotic contributes to the novelty of the restaurant, something Anderson credits with helping The Crêpery succeed. “A place like here, or a place like St. George, we’re special. We’re unique and we’re different,” he says. “We’re the cool place in town.”

Those looking to sample a crepe can find The Crêpery at 540 S. Main Street in Logan.