- [Djamila] Baking to me is freedom.

I get to express how I feel.

- [Fadi] Watching Djamila being creative is honestly like watching artists doing their painting.

- Sometimes you might see colors that I use are very pastel colors, very light, and sometimes they're dark, and I try to pay attention to what's around me and bring it into baking.

I am the owner of La Recette Patisserie in Durham, North Carolina, and I am the baker.

- I'm the husband/financial accountant for La Recette Patisserie.

What we do here is French pastries with an Algerian twist.

[bright playful music] [bright playful music continues] [bright playful music continues] - So I am born and raised in Algeria.

Coming here, I couldn't really find that many options in terms of the Algerian cuisine.

We make coca.

Coca, pretty much, it's a street pizza.

It has caramelized onions and caramelized tomatoes, puff pastry, and then you just place one olive on top.

It's packed with flavors.

- And if you go to Algeria, literally, they sell it like in street food vendors, and like it's everywhere in the street, you know?

So it's like, you hungry, grab a piece of coca.

[laughs] - We also make baklawa and makrouts.

Baklawa, it's filo dough filled with almonds.

Makrouts, it's very, very traditional.

It's always found in multiple occasions, whether it's a wedding or a birthday.

We call it like almost like a loyal cookie.

It's always there.

My mom actually makes that.

It's made out of semolina, and it's stuffed with date paste, and then we deep fry it, and it's drizzled with honey.

We started the business back in 2015.

It was right after I graduated from Central.

I always wanted to do something for myself.

I started a small catering business.

It was a Mediterranean catering business.

Back then, it was called Food by Mila.

After a couple weeks, a friend of ours asked us to bake 130 cupcakes and a giant cupcake.

And, of course, I said, "Yes, I'm definitely gonna do it."

So we started baking, and in 2017, it was a year for me that I felt I was stuck.

I didn't feel like I had any deep connections with baking.

So I decided to go overseas to my hometown and study under a French pastry chef.

That was the most fulfilling, rewarding, nerve-wracking experience.

It was very intense.

Thinking about it today, how we made a decision to just book a ticket, it's amazing.

And I'm so grateful we took that step.

When I came back, I wanted to bring the Algerian roots and understand my heritage more into what I do, day to day.

And we started working with small businesses.

We have collaborated with Coco Cinnamon, the Durham Co-op, and then slowly we outgrew our tiny, tiny kitchen.

When we moved into the retail space, we've decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign.

It was- - It was a very nerve-wracking decision, for sure.

- It was, it was.

And just tell you a little bit about Kickstarter campaign.

It's all or nothing.

So even if you reach 99% of your funds by the end of the month, if you don't have it, it's a zero.

And honestly, the turnout, it was an amazing one month experience.

- It was.

- I will remember that.

- Especially the last 24 hours.

- I will remember that forever.

I am forever grateful.

- Yeah.

- What makes our team special?

All of them.

They're all women.

And it's just so beautiful how we all came together.

[mother and baby babbling together] So Fadi is the only gentleman.

[laughs] - [laughs] Yeah.

- [Djamila] La Recette is a place for people to come together.

[inspiring music] A place to foster an atmosphere of kindness.

Good morning, how are you today?

- [Customer] Good morning, I'm good.

- [Djamila] Food is the universal language.

I can't talk a lot without talking about my faith.

I am proud to say I am a Muslim woman, and there is a reason why I have a scarf.

- [Fadi] Opening the doors to the public, we wanna show them like, that this is the true face of Islam.

- [Djamila] This is who I am.

- La Recette Patisserie is at 4823 Meadow Drive, Suite 115, in Durham.

And they're open Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

To order your amazing pastry or cake, give them a call at [984] 888-0542 or visit them online at larecettepatisserie.com.