Chef Alain Coumont, founder of Le Pain Quotidien
But with emphasis on organic ingredients, local products and handmade fare, founder chef Alain Coumont's empire is a rare gem of responsible business paired with honest, delicious food.
CanadianLiving.com caught chef Alain Coumont a scant few hours before the grand opening of his first Canadian café in Toronto.
CanadianLiving.com: What possessed you to start baking bread?
Chef Alain Coumont: I'm not a baker by trade – I'm a chef. I ran my own restaurant in Brussels in the late 1980s. At that time, the government regulated the price of bread. The only way for bakers to make money was to invest in machinery and become very efficient. The way of producing bread shifted from smaller bakeries to large operations with a lot of machinery to bake bread faster. I wasn't satisfied with the taste of this bread.
Baking my own bread was a hobby in the beginning. Then again, a hobby should cost very little but my bread oven was about $40,000. My bakery became a business by accident.
CL.com: What did that first business look like?
AC: I opened the first bakery store in Brussels in 1990. The shop was small: 36 square metres. I only had one bread rack and one table with 16 seats. I found this table at a flea market. It's actually a seamstress's table – both ends are rounded to unroll fabric and not rip them on the corners. A couple met at this first table in my original store. They soon fell in love, rented the whole space of my store and got married inside it! This original table is still there in my first store in Brussels, and there is a replica in every one of the other locations. Without this big table 18 years ago, we wouldn't be here talking to each other today.
CL.com: Why do you think your concept has been so successful?
AC: A restaurant is like a movie, with an actor, a scriptwriter and a producer. Without all these elements there is no movie. With food you need atmosphere, such as wood boards for the floor. You also need a human element: a real waiter in flesh and bone and what you order they will bring to the table – not a counter where you have to go back in line again if you're still hungry. We have ambiance, good products, strong organics, convivial settings, a casual atmosphere and real service. This is the winning combination.
CL.com: You cite your bread as being "old world" – what does this mean, exactly?
AC: We create sourdough – we don't use yeast. For sourdough you need a starter: a mix of water, flour and salt. Every 12 hours, for two weeks, add a tiny bit of water, more flour, more salt, and a natural fermentation process will begin – yeast is present in wheat naturally.
For sourdough breads, the natural yeast process is a much slower process [than with regular bread]. But with this slower fermentation you create better flavour. It's like grape juice that ferments, ages, and suddenly you have a great Bordeaux. Or even cheese: take a young cheddar cheese, age it for nine months and you're left with a sharper taste, flavoured by the enzymes. Making the bread slowly creates a different texture and a much richer flavour that comes naturally if you simply take the time.
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