Amid the industrial vibes that permeate most urban spaces and warehouses that dot the edges of Downtown Tucson, stumbling into a quirky, passionately cheerful space is an unexpected joy. Coming inside from 6th and 6th, it takes a second to acclimate to the rush of color that adorns every surface inside Chez Peachy. “The correct pronunciation is “Shay Peachy. It’s the French way of pronouncing it, and most other versions are fine, just not ‘cheese.’ Where’s the double e?” Owner of Chez Peachy Bento Cake Cafe, Christa Lebron, says they have heard a dozen different pronunciations of the name. The distinct moniker comes from a nickname her father gave her and basically means “At Peachy’s Place.” A photo of Peachy and her father is posted up next to the decorating table, seemingly to watch with pride the good work Christa is doing.
Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Christa brings the Old Pueblo a unique flair for colorful expressions, both to the decor and the vittles on offer. Basking in the pink glory and cutesie accouterment is a welcome reprieve from the conventional and minimalist cafe aesthetic. “I found it hard to find cute places in Tucson that were specifically cutesie oriented,” Christa says of her design choices. “You have a lot of beautiful cafes and restaurants in Tucson, but I feel like finding something in the “cutesie” niche was hard.” The corner of the intersection Chez Peachy has taken over has seen many faces and concepts over the years. Still, Christa and her husband and business partner, Joe, have understood the idea of winning at home before you win abroad. Their trajectory shows no signs of slowing down.
So aside from the aesthetics and pleasant shop keeps, what does the space have to offer? Chez Peachy is a baked goods emporium. While they have ready-to-eat items in their display cabinet, their signature (and arguably best seller) is their Bento Cake. Bento Cakes get their name from a Japanese style of small compartmentalized containers. Another way to refer to them is “Lunchbox Cakes,” but LeBron prefers bento cake. The Bento Cakes are handmade and hand-decorated daily by Christa, Joe, and the rest of the staff. While custom cakes, gourmet cookies, and other sweet treats are available daily, you are not missing out if you don’t have the time or need to put in a custom order. In addition to the fascinating and fun food, they also offer a respectable assortment of caffeinated and non-caffeinated beverages made by expert and doting baristas.
Even before the brick-and-mortar establishment, Chez Peachy amassed an Instagram and TikTok following in the hundreds of thousands. “I started the page back in 2016, but I didn’t use it at all for business purposes. I really started going crazy with it in 2021,” says Christa. But what is it that keeps people coming and bringing people in? What makes this place stand out from the rest of the downtown offerings? It is a winning combination of the superior quality of the tasty treats they offer and the ethos that the owner infuses into every aspect of the establishment.
“I want people to feel welcome when they come in. The bottom line is, if you’re a consumer, you take time out of your day, hard-earned money out of your pocket, and deal with the hassle of parking down here just to support us,” Lebron explains. Stop by and get a Bento Cake to chew on, a Matcha Strawberry Bliss to sip on, and feel a little bit of joy that won’t come from anywhere else in Tucson.
written & photographed by: isaac stockton
501 north 6th avenue, suite 101, tucson, az 85705
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