The French Kitchen’s pastries are messy — and delicious.

Each bite of the multiplex of delicate layered crisp, buttery house-made puff pastry, whether encasing something sweet or savory, sends crumbs everywhere. Fortunately, most land in one’s mouth.

What started as a French cooking school in the owner’s home is now a thriving “culinary center” offering classes, an array of frozen and prepared foods to go, and a selection of breakfast, snack and lunch items for dining in or carryout.

Sandwiches, pizza, quiches and a daily soup — along with freshly made sweets — comprise the menu. This is a bright, cheery place with lots of activity involving staff carting ingredients for the classes and customers filling baskets with the aforementioned prepared foods.

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A single daily soup is offered, although the refrigerator case is filled with at least a dozen kinds (to go). Shrimp bisque ($8.99) was available the day of my visit. It’s creamy, rich with the subtle sweetness of the shelled crustacean, and comes with part of a baguette. For me, the amount of seafood was just right, although one dining companion thought more was needed. The bread, like the pastries, shatters with each bite of the brittle crust to get to the soft, chewy airy crumb.

The display case near the counter where orders are placed is filled with menu items. The friand and Queenet require explanation; both are vividly described.

The friand ($9.99) features sauteed mushrooms in white wine and herb sauce encased within numerous layers of pastry dough. It’s square and every untidy taste is indulgent given the rich ingredients. The Queenet ($4.29) is cupcake-size, caramelized on the outside and buttery soft inside.

Three types of quiche are offered: green chile, quiche Lorraine and the monthly special. The small-plate size, single-serving quiches pack a lot of flavor in a small package in, you guessed it, a flaky crust. The green chile ($9.99) is piquant but not overwhelming; the special spring onion and gorgonzola quiche ($11.99) is cheesy and slightly pungent.

Surprisingly, TFK offers three salads, but none are green. We sample the chicken salad ($8.99). It’s packed full of chunks of roasted chicken, dried cranberries, red onions and walnuts. It’s lightly dressed with house-made mayo. The only thing missing were pieces of celery; perhaps that’s used only in U.S. versions.

Neglecting to try something sweet here would be a mistake. The difficulty lies in choosing. We decide on the chocolate/crème anglaise mousse ($8.99) and an almond croissant ($4.99).

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The mousse is a to-go item kept in the freezer case; we let it sit at room temperature while we ate our meal. This is one of the few gluten-free items on the menu. Thick and decadent, it’s an excellent way to end a meal. The intensity of the dark chocolate is offset by the crème and touch of bourbon.

It’s no surprise the brittle croissant, filled with almond cream, further satisfies the palate and disperses yet more crumbs on the table. It shouldn’t be any other way.

The French Kitchen

Casual French cuisine for dining in or carryout

Location: 4771 N. Academy Blvd.

Contact: 1-719-528-6295; tfkcc.com

Prices: $8.29 to $10.99 café items and $3.99 to $10.99 sweets

Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday.

Details: Credit cards accepted. Outdoor seating. Wi-Fi.

Favorite dishes: Mushroom friand, green chile quiche and mousse.

Other: Limited gluten-free and vegan options available.