At the end of 2006, a French patisserie bakery and cafe called Choquette opened in Brisbane. And with it a small slice of French epicurean life began to take root. Proprietor Lara Keating's dream to create an authentic French cafe experience drew deeply on the influence of her French mother, Francoise. The coffee was great and the pain-au-raisin glorious. Before long, she was partnering with the baker to set up a second standalone wholesale bread business.

Everything was humming along nicely when she was hit. Not just with the pandemic, but with a truly biblical flood.

Listen to Lara now on Unpaused. 

// Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Jason Millhouse

// Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net