Le Petit Paris owner Alexander Chezaud has quietly leveled up his local café empire with a bigger, evening-focused sibling in Atlantic Beach. Le Petit Atelier - French Marché opened on Feb. 12 and flips the brand from daytime, fast-casual cafés to a wine-and-small-plates setup with full table service. The space also pulls double duty as a commissary kitchen, giving the group room to prep and precook menu items for its other cafés while offering staff later shifts.
The Atelier fills Suites 2, 3 and 4 at 363 Atlantic Boulevard and spans about 3,017 square feet, with room for roughly 75 guests including a 12-seat bar. The build-out came in at about $300,000, roughly $100,000 over the initial budget, and the contractor was VJD Installation of Jacksonville, according to Jax Daily Record. Chezaud said an atelier is a creative gathering place “where they mingle, talk and create,” and joked, “It’s always the price I estimate, plus 50%.”
Menu and French Marché
The evening menu leans into shareable small plates and rotating chef specials. The restaurant’s ordering page lists items such as stuffed dates, conch fritters and smoked duck wings. The French Marché section sells locally made food and gift items alongside bottles of wine for take-home. Diners can also check current hours and a mix of coffee and evening offerings on the restaurant’s ordering page.
Wines, cocktails and service
Wine prices run about $7 to $16 a glass and $24 to $45 by the bottle. Small plates are generally $14 to $18, and build-your-own charcuterie boards range from $24 to $45. Cocktails are in the $11 to $14 range and are made with fortified wines because the Atelier does not hold a liquor license. Guests get full table service with dedicated waiters, and on warm evenings staff set sidewalk tables for alfresco dining. Reservations are accepted for parties of eight or larger. The kitchen is staffed by a team of five cooks led by chef John Carroll and also functions as a commissary for Chezaud’s other cafés, according to Jax Daily Record.
Bigger model, bigger plans
Chezaud said he designed the Atelier to be both a public wine-and-small-plates destination and the operational backbone for future growth. The brand already operates multiple Le Petit Paris cafés across Northeast Florida, information that appears on the restaurant’s ordering pages. State business filings show a My Paris Ponte Vedra LLC was registered on March 4, 2025, signaling a move toward Ponte Vedra Beach, according to BizProfile. Chezaud has discussed adding wine tastings and cooking classes as special events, and the menu is set to rotate about every two months to keep offerings fresh.
For Atlantic Beach diners, the Atelier brings a later-evening small-plates option that leans more on wine and conversation than the daytime cafés. If Chezaud’s strategy works out, the Atelier will serve as both a neighborhood hangout spot and a working kitchen for the growing group.
