inthekitchen
la vie est
belle
Business is booming for Chef Alix Loiselle
of La Belle Baguette
It’s mid-afternoon at La Belle Baguette, and the door settles into a
gentle rhythm as customers hurry in hoping to snag the last almond
croissant before it’s too late (it’s too late). As I munch on the much-
coveted pastry, chef owner Alix Loiselle buzzes out of the kitchen,
bringing with him the heavenly waft of warm cocoa and buttery
baked delicacies.
Loiselle’s charming bakery delivers all the dexterity and grandeur
of French baking—sans the pretentiousness. Pastries and breads are a
mix of traditional Franco-Manitoban recipes from his grandmother
and classical French technique. Brand identity is key, and La Belle
Baguette’s is strong, drawing on elements from Loiselle’s life, like the
cute uniforms inspired by his time at a Montreal bakery and signature
pink boxes to bring home perfectly round ganache tartes. The bustling
St. Boniface neighbourhood is a breeding ground for regulars, with
constant foot traffic from nearby hospital and schools. Serendipitously,
it is situated on the same street Loiselle grew up on, and he always keeps
the needs of the community in mind, quickly evolving his business to
include lunch items after a customer asked for a sandwich. There was
mustard and brie cheese in the fridge, pears leftover from a batch of
danishes, and plenty of bread of course, so why not?
“If I was a bakery, this is who I am,” Loiselle claims. As he gracefully
pipes lush cream atop choux and ponders personalities of pretzels
like clouds in the sky, it’s clear: he really loves what he does.
The bakery opened in July 2015, a soft opening that was not very
soft. “It’s been a roller coaster ever since,” he chirps, admitting that he
didn’t expect to sell out of everything so fast. He had to come up with
12
ciao! / apr/may / two thousand twenty
by Jessie Schmidtke