The French Workshop opens in Plainview

Holy macarons (and éclairs, and brioche) --The French Workshop has opened its second Long Island patisserie, in Plainview.

Inside the chic Woodbury Plaza storefront, a fishbowl pastry case holds endless sparkling sweets: domed petit gâteaux flavored with passionfruit; layered cuts of opera cake brushed with gold; tarts topped with glistening strawberries or apple crumb, glazed éclairs, stacked profiteroles and linzer tortes. Savories include baguette stuffed with smoked salmon or ham and cheese, and brioche "croque madame." Espresso, hot chocolate and tea make up the liquid offerings.

On a recent day, the shop’s long banquette was abuzz with chatter from coffee meet-ups and toddler-schlepping moms, who nibbled chocolate croissants with icy cups of cold brew against the early-summer humidity.

"That’s kind of what this place is about," said Theodora Christophorou, who runs the place with her brothers and father. "You come, you sit, you talk, you have coffee. We’re family-run, so it’s a welcoming family environment."

Christophorou’s brother Jerry Pantelatos, a French Culinary Institute alum, runs the kitchen, while another brother, Neil Pantelatos, handles logistics. Father Nikolaos Pantelatos, who emmigrated from Greece to Queens decades ago, is the operations "captain," in partnership with the Zorbas family, which heads a prosperous collection of bakeries on the Greek island of Cyprus.

The new café joins French Workshop locations in Garden City and Bayside, Queens. A forthcoming spot is set to open next year on Jerusalem Avenue in Wantagh, Christophorou said.

The French Workshop is now open daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 417 S. Oyster Bay Road, Plainview, thefrenchworkshop.com.

A previous version of this story misidentified the name of the plaza where the cafe is located.