Big crepe love

AURORA | No matter how many times you see it, it’s still endlessly fascinating to watch batter being poured on a crepe griddle.

The puddle is pushed carefully in circles with a special wooden tool; the crepe slowly solidifies to be peeled off as a perfectly caramelized wrap. Almost everything tastes better when contained in a warm, thin pancake.

La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Steak tournedos with garlic mashed potatoes is one of many dishes available at La Creperie Cafe. La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Steak tournedos with garlic mashed potatoes is one of many dishes available at La Creperie Cafe. La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A Nutella crepe is one of many dishes available at La Creperie Cafe. La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A pesto bacon crepe is one of many dishes available at La Creperie Cafe. La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A pesto bacon crepe is one of many dishes available at La Creperie Cafe. La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

A pesto bacon crepe is one of many dishes available at La Creperie Cafe. La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Executive chef Thesala Jones takes a break from cooking March 18 at La Creperie Cafe. La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

James Ahfat brings fresh crepes to a table March 18 at La Creperie Cafe. La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Mollie Kelly forms a crepe March 18 at La Creperie Cafe. La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Aurora resident Barbara Ray (left) enjoys a coffee with a friend March 18 at La Creperie Cafe. La Creperie Cafe has been open for six years at Southlands Mall serving casual French fare including quiche, fondue, onion soup, creme brulee and crepes. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

That crepe affection has filled the family-owned La Creperie Cafe since it opened in Southlands Mall six years ago.

Thesala Jones became executive chef and general manager at the cafe six months ago but she had been heading in that direction since she was a kid. “When I was little I liked watching cooking shows instead of cartoons,” said Jones. Among her favorite hosts were Lidia Bastianich and Ming Tsai. “After high school I visited Europe, including Germany and France,” the Colorado Springs native said.

“I remember how thin and crisp the French made their crepes.”

She was also surprised by the simplicity of the cooking: “They took very fresh ingredients and didn’t mess with them.”

Jones came back to Colorado and told her dad she wanted to become a chef. “He thought it would just be a hobby, so I went to the University of Northern Colorado and got a business degree,” she said.

Still, the need to cook called out, so she enrolled in a culinary program at Johnson & Wales University in Denver. “I had to pay for that degree,” she said, noting that she raised rent by working at Chili’s.

She has also worked at Disney World, cooking in various kitchens at the sprawling Florida resort, and for Vicorp restaurants.

At 37, after a career in corporate food service, she’s now in charge of her first kitchen, an independent eatery that fills a niche given the a paucity of French fare in Aurora and vicinity.

Classic French posters fill the walls and the open kitchen allows folks to watch the crepes made on those imported French griddles. The focus is on making fresh food from scratch, something she explains to customers. “We let them know it may take a little time but it will be worth it,” Jones said.

Breakfast choices include real quiche Lorraine and the Benoit de Crepe filled with eggs and Canadian bacon topped with Bearnaise sauce served with French press coffee or espresso. For lunch and dinner with wine, the menu opens up. Starters boast the greatest hits of bistro fare