Something for Everyone at Loulou’s Bakery

In addition to sweets like her popular cookies, Lorna Aouad also offers savory items, like these Mediterranean pies.

Welcome to Re-Tales – an ongoing series of stories from retailers throughout the Granite State. Get to know your local shopkeeper and discover what makes their establishment special.

Lorna Aouad is the owner and founder of Loulou’s, a family-owned Mediterranean bakery in Auburn. Learn more about Aouad, the history of her shop, popular items and upcoming plans.

What’s your title? What’s the story behind the name of your business?

My name is Lorna Aouad and I’m the owner and founder of Loulou’s Bakery. The name comes from my nickname, Loulou, which my family and close friends call me by.

Tell us about the history of Loulou’s Bakery.

Since I was a child, I had a dream of having my own bakery where I can utilize my cooking skills and love for my Mediterranean background and its cuisine. And since dreams do not expire, it wasn’t until 2019 that I was able to make this dream of mine become a reality. I began by baking in my own kitchen for friends and mutual friends, and later I decided to transform my ground-level basement to a fully equipped bakery. In April 2021, we were officially a licensed bakery in New Hampshire.

What makes your store unique?

What makes our bakery unique is that we have different selections that meet everybody’s taste and lifestyle. From meat to vegan, savory to sweet and even gluten-free items. All of our products are handcrafted with the finest ingredients.

Tell us about a memorable day/ experience you’ve had in the shop.

A memorable day was when I received a call from a local supermarket telling me that my Mediterranean cookies have been approved to be placed on their shelves. That was an exciting step for us as we were able to expand and reach customers throughout New Hampshire.

Tell us a secret or little-known fact about your store.

Some of the ingredients are local, while the spices and herbs are mostly imported from Lebanon to ensure authenticity. Not only that, but we do follow specific family recipes that were passed down through generations.

Do you have anything new/exciting planned for the near future?

Lately, and along with our social media platforms, we launched an online shop where we sell our savory pies and sweet cookies to customers across the United States. Our plans for the near future are to expand farther into New Hampshire and local supermarkets. We bought a catering van, as we provide Mediterranean catering too!

What keeps you passionate about your business?

What keeps me passionate about my business is the positive feedback that I’m receiving from customers who bought my cookies or tried my pies. That feedback mean a lot to me knowing that I handcrafted each piece by itself, one by one.

How have you adapted to Covid-19?

Since our products are being sold mostly in supermarkets and now online, pickup from the bakery has been limited and well organized due to the strict precautions that we are taking. Visits into the bakery are reduced, but customers can still pass by and pick up their orders.

How can people best support Loulou’s Bakery right now?

People can best support Loulou’s Bakery by shopping/ordering online through our website, buying our products from their local supermarkets and following us on social media accounts to help us reach more customers.

What are some of your most popular products?

Some of our most popular products in terms of sweets are our almonds tea cookies, date cookies and vegan cookies. In terms of savory, our small cheese pies, thyme flatbread and vegan spinach pies are the most popular.