New East Colfax Patisserie Specializes in Sweet and Savory Eclairs

Le Clare’s — French for “the Clare’s” — opened on Colfax and York Street in mid-July. Helmed by husband-and-wife duo Maggie and Tyler Clare (aka “the Clares”), the tiny storefront where Urban Cookie once stood has two displays filled with beautifully decorated French-inspired pastries and entremets. The true star of the show, though, are the eclairs — but you won’t find any with the usual cream filling and chocolate icing.

The list of rotating flavors ranges from sweet to savory, with offerings like vanilla lavender, pistachio with pink peppercorn, and lox and everything bagel. That’s right — an everything bagel eclair topped with cream cheese, stuffed with salmon mousse.

Maggie says customers can expect more savory offerings on the weekends. They can also order mini eclairs in all the same flavors (a half-dozen minis will run you around $25).

So why eclairs? The concept is inspired in part by the couple's world travels, in part by European bakeries and in part by the choux pastry itself. “Choux is a cooked dough using equal parts flour and butter, and then you whisk in eggs. As it cooks, it dries out and becomes the right consistency to pipe. In the oven it expands, so the outside is crispy but the inside is soft and creates an air bubble that you can fill. It’s the perfect vessel,” Maggie explains.
“We really want customers to eat with their eyes, you know?” she says, pointing to the ornate entremets (mini French pastries). I tried the Sobolo flavor (a type of Ghanan hibiscus drink), which features hibiscus mousse filled with passion fruit jelly sitting atop a small almond dacquoise (sponge). Maggie’s personal favorite is the opera cake, a classic French dessert with layers of ganache, mocha buttercream and almond sponge soaked with espresso simple syrup.

In the other display are baked goods from various local businesses, including quiche from Westminster's La Belle, cookies and cake from Organic Bliss in Boulder and colorful macarons from Denver Macaron. “[Jamison Picasarri from Denver Macaron] has really helped us develop the concept; she’s kind of like our third person,” Maggie notes. The shop also offers vegan and gluten-free treats.

If you want to sit and enjoy your baked goods, head down the back hallway to the spacious dog-friendly patio, which is shared by neighboring businesses Savageau Coffee and Ice Cream, Bruz Off Fax brewery and the Learned Lemur oddities shop.

Beyond the display cases, a big part of Le Clare’s mission is supporting local businesses. Customers will find Colorado-made kombucha, soda and water in the cooler; it also carries locally crafted jewelry, postcards, magnets and art for sale, plus plants from Living Decor.

The store is a culmination of many years of dreaming and finding the courage to go all in. Tyler, originally from New Mexico, started in an Italian scratch kitchen and later attended culinary school after retiring from forest firefighting. Maggie is from upstate New York, earned a sous chef certification from the American Culinary Foundation and has an extensive résumé working various roles in the food and beverage industry.

When the couple met, they decided to pursue their passion for travel, which included a stint cooking in Antarctica at the McMurdo Research Station. Eventually, they settled back in Denver and started catering business ViDa Eats in 2022, which they still operate.

“We love Denver. After all of our travels, this is the place we chose because of the community and that feeling of having a grounding place,” Maggie says.

Finding the storefront on Colfax was serendipitous. “I’ve always loved pastries — it’s kind of where I fell in love with cooking — and Tyler loves piping and making everything look perfect," Maggie says. "Finally, I was like, 'Tyler, why are we skirting around what we actually want to do?' That’s when we decided to take this eclair thing and run with it. We were so excited when we found out the Urban Cookie was for sale. I actually worked for the owners, Sean and Denon, ten years ago. We ended up taking over their lease and buying their equipment.”

In the future, the Clares hope to partner with Denver Botanic Gardens to offer picnic baskets to rent or buy for date night, and they also want to collaborate with other cafes and bakeries to wholesale products like their mini eclairs.

“I feel like when you follow your heart, everything just falls into place. This shop is like our own little fairy tale,” concludes Maggie.

The Clares’ long-term goal is to eventually open up an eco-resort, which would be sustainably built and offer immersive retreats — but that’s a story for a different day.

Le Clare’s is located at 2260 East Colfax Avenue and is open from  10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, follow it on Instagram at @leclaresdenver.