Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien’s logo depicts a loaf of bread being pulled from a traditional bread oven.

Le Pain Quotidien listen  (The Daily Bread)[1] is a boulangerie-restaurant group founded in Brussels in 1990 by Alain Coumont. It is a global chain of bakery-cafés operating in many countries around the world.[2] It sells organic bread and cakes in a homey, rustic style.[3]

History

Founder Alain Coumont opened Le Pain Quotidien on 26 October 1990 at 16 rue Dansaert in Brussels, Belgium.[4] As a young chef, Alain was dissatisfied with the quality of bread available in Brussels, so he began making his own, mixing flour, water and salt into the familiar loaves of his childhood. He furnished the store with cabinets scoured from antique stores and a large table purchased at a local flea market: the first of Le Pain Quotidien’s many communal tables.[5] Gradually, items were added to the menu to complement the bread, including pastries, salads, beverages, tartines (traditional, open-faced sandwiches) and specialty retail products.[6]

International Reach

Le Pain Quotidien currently operates more than 200 bakery-café locations worldwide in 17 countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, India, Switzerland, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, Spain, Bahrain, Russia, Argentina, Japan, and the United States (with a strong presence in New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington DC). The first location in the US opened in 1997 in Manhattan.[7]

United States

Le Pain Quotidien serves simple, elegant boulangerie fare made with organic ingredients: breakfast, tartines, pastries and handmade bread & many vegan options. The menu at Le Pain Quotidien maintains its principal food items against the backdrop of calorie-count requirements by New York City.[8]

Bakery Classes

In addition to dine-in, take-out, and catering, several Le Pain Quotidien locations in the US offer bakery classes. The bakery classes in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia and The Orange County in LA are suitable for all skill levels, since LPQ's resident bakery instructors guide students through the baking process: from mixing the perfect dough to kneading, shaping and baking delicious breads and pastries. Students can later enjoy the fruits of their labor at the communal table.[9]

Partners

Le Pain Quotidien partners with King Arthur Flour in creating a proprietary blend of flour to the specifications of founder and chef, Alain Coumont. Le Pain Quotidien sources many of their ingredients from Organic Valley. It sources furnishings from Antiques & Design, the original craftsman of the first communal table. This Belgian company, specializes in rustic, rural romantic style furnishings. Le Pain Quotidien partners with Les Moulins Mahjoub to supply the ingredients for many of their Mediterranean inspired dishes and pantry items.

The first Le Pain Quotidien - Rue Dansaert, Brussels.

In The Media

The Beverly Hills, California location of Le Pain Quotidien was featured in a scene in Scream 3.[10]

In 2012, Le Pain Quotidien received a complaint against them, claiming assistant managers were cheated out of overtime wages. This complaint is currently pending in the Los Angeles Superior Courts.

References

  1. ↑ "Facebook Page - Le Pain Quotidien". Facebook. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  2. ↑ Jacobs, Emma (8 February 2011). "Baker who turned tables". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  3. ↑ Hettie Judah (6 June 2008), "Le Pain Quotidien, a bakery chain that keeps a local feel", New York Times
  4. ↑ "Le Pain Quotidien U.S. Fact Sheet" (PDF). Le Pain Quotidien. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  5. ↑ Coumont, Alain and Jean-Pierre Gabriel (2009). Alain Coumont’s Communal Table: Memories and Recipes. Brussels, Belgium: Editions Françoise Blouard. P 90-96.
  6. ↑ Coumont, Alain and Jean-Pierre Gabriel (2009). Alain Coumont’s Communal Table: Memories and Recipes. Brussels, Belgium: Editions Françoise Blouard. P 112-113.
  7. ↑ Young, Lucie (6 July 2011). "Alain Coumont recipes from Languedoc, France". London: Telegraph.
  8. ↑ Severson, Kim. "Calories do count". New York Times. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "Le Pain Quotidien USA Bakery Classes".
  10. ↑ "Film locations for Scream 3". Movie-locations.com. Retrieved 16 April 2012.

External links