Jean-Pierre Chesnel traveled in Africa, from north to south, then east across the Sahara. He traded horses with the Afghans, explored the Orient, then camped with American Indians in Montana before settling into an artist's existence in Sun Valley.
Despite a wealth of diverse experiences, Pierre was always hungry - for a piece of bread. Not any loaf would do; Pierre missed the sourdough French loaves of his Normandy childhood. "I finally concluded it was impossible to live without a good loaf of bread every day, that my bread was an important part of my whole attitude."Call that an attitude-adjustment day for an artist. That was a day "when everything clicked; I totally changed my perspective," Pierre recalled.
Pierre began the tedious process of learning to make the bread he grew up with.
After numerous calls to France, Pierre heard about Eugene, a retired master French baker. The problem - the referral sources in Paris did not know Eugene's last name. An exhaustive search finally located LeBreton.
The master baker was both flattered and relieved to respond to Pierre's request for information. "Making bread in France is a tradition, a work of art, a work of love. I had been retired for five years and no one asked me to teach them about bread. I wanted the tradition to continue," LeBreton explained.
The baking team worked together for three months; Pierre was then ready to open his new Salt Lake business, Pierre's Country Bakery, 3239 E. 3300 South.
After almost a year, Pierre invited LeBreton to return to the United States as a business consultant. The master baker worked with the staff at Pierre's to refine recipes, techniques and processes in the bakery operation.
Working with a sourdough start almost 50 years old is tricky. "Sourdough starter is a living thing with a life cycle of about seven hours. A half hour can make the difference; if you wait too long to tend it, you have nothing. It takes 20 hours to make a loaf. From yesterday's dough I take a starter, mix today's and leave a starter for tomorrow. I have to work on it every seven hours. I can't get away from the dough," Pierre said.
Pierre's Country Bakery customers readily agree - they can't get far away from Pierre's bread either. In fact, the bakery runs a mail order service and a restaurant supply business in addition to the retail operation.
Pierre and his wife, Connie, bring a touch of Paris to the neighborhoods and restaurants of Salt Lake City. Merci beaucoup!
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Recipes listed:
Bread stuffed with Mushrooms
Apricot Strawberry Tart with Almonds
Bread Stuffed with cold meat salad, Swiss style