inthekitchen
something quickly so he twisted and baked
pretzels to fill the empty trays. They were a
huge hit and to this day, sweet and savoury
pretzels are baked every morning.
Because of the ease with which the young
chef carries out such business-defining
moments, it’s easy to assume this was
always what he was meant to do. Not so.
“I’m a music school dropout,” Loiselle
quips (as if on cue, his high school band
teacher pops in at this very moment,
setting off a bout of laughs and “what are
the chances of that?”). An accomplished
pianist, he was accepted into the music pro-
gram at Brandon University but developed
tendonitis and was forced to take a year off
to heal. Unable to sit still for even a second,
he signed up for a pastry course at Louis
every night at the Ritz, routinely welcoming
celebrities like Celine Dion and the Prince
of Monaco. The restaurant featured an
open kitchen, meaning hair had to be cut,
uniforms immaculate, nails groomed, and
a smile plastered on at all times. “It was
intense,” he admits, but credits it as one of
the best experiences of his career. But after a
while, working in such an intense, fast-paced
and performance-driven environment,
takes a toll—both physically and mentally.
Lucky for Winnipeg, the spirited chef moved
back home to take a break from the whirl-
wind lifestyle and spend time with family.
After meeting his husband Peter and
helping run his family’s café, the space
that formerly housed Chez Sophie became
available, and they jumped at the opportunity
“If I was a bakery, this is who I am.”
Riel Arts and Technology to pass the time.
It was there that he discovered a true pas-
sion for baking and had to decide: music or
pastries? Local legend chef Helmut Mathae
took Loiselle under his wing during the
course, encouraging a career in the fine art
of pastry. Then it was off to Ottawa to attend
Le Cordon Bleu, a prestigious and highly
competitive French culinary school. Thus
commenced a whirlwind career for Loiselle.
Armed with premier French training,
Loiselle packed up his car yet again, this
time heading west to join the pastry team at
Fairmont’s renowned Chateau Lac Louise.
After a while, the seclusion of living and
working in a castle shadowed by mountains
had the restless chef ’s toes twitching, and
once again his little mile-collecting car
made its way across the country, settling
in Montreal. After contentedly working at
boutique boulangeries, including the oldest
pastry shop in the city, an opportunity of
a lifetime presented itself: working under
world famous chef Daniel Boulud at his new
restaurant inside the grand Ritz Carlton.
He jokes that they rolled out the red carpet
14
ciao! / apr/may / two thousand twenty
to turn it into a bakery.
Loiselle has quickly grown his petite bou-
langerie into a citywide empire, winning
over Winnipeggers one croissant at a time,
opening a second location in St. James, a
larger space that handles commercial orders
that get delivered across the city. Fans of
Hallmark movies might even recognize
it as the backdrop to a recent Valentine’s
Day special, “The Secret Ingredient”. Even
those who aren’t familiar with the name
La Belle Baguette (doubtful) have probably
bit into one of the supersized candy-glazed
croissants at one of the many specialty
stores, coffee shops and other purveyors
throughout the city who stock his creations.
To keep up with the flux, Loiselle starts
his day by 2 am, baking until it’s time to
drive his own delivery truck to finish morn-
ing drop offs. It keeps relationships strong
and personal. When does the chef eat and
sleep? “There’s no time for that!” he laughs,
insisting that the long hours don’t affect his
seemingly unlimited bank of energy. Maybe
that’s his secret ingredient— butter, eggs,
flour and a hint of joie de vivre.