Le Pain Quotidien
Encyclopedia
Alain Coumont
Alain Coumont is a Belgian chef and restaurateur, and founder of Le Pain Quotidien.- Biography :Alain Coumont is the son and grandson of grocers. His grandmother ran a hotel in front of the train station in Huy, Belgium...
. It is now an international chain operating in many countries including the UK and USA. It sells organic bread and cakes in a homely, rustic style.
History
Founder Alain Coumont opened Le Pain Quotidien on 26 October 1990 at 16 rue Danseart in Brussels, Belgium. 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 Le Pain Quotidien’s many communal tables. Gradually, items were added to them menu to complement the bread, including pastries, salads, beverages, tartines (traditional, open-faced sandwiches) and specialty retail products.Coumont, Alain and Jean-Pierre Gabriel (2009). Alain Coumont’s Communal Table: Memories and Recipes. Brussels, Belgium: Editions Françoise Blouard. P 112-113.Menu
Le Pain Quotidien offers tartines, soups, salads, quiches, pastries and desserts. The menu includes vegan and vegetarian options. Additionally, each location offers a line of packaged goods including olive oil, vinegar, spreads which are used in the kitchen or offered on the dining tables.The cornerstone of Le Pain Quotidien’s menu is its handmade, organic bread. Le Pain Quotidien uses a proprietary blend of organic, stone-ground flour in its breads, the majority of which are made using levain instead of baker’s yeast.
Philosophy
Whenever possible, Le Pain Quotidien sources organic ingredients. Through these purchases, the company espouses to build lasting and meaningful partnerships with organic farmers and ensure its ingredients are of the highest quality.In 2003, Alain Coumont decided to transition Le Pain Quotidien to an organic company, beginning with its bread production. They also partner with the Organic Valley Cooperative for their milk and eggs in the USA and Les Moulins Mahjoub, a family-owned Tunisian company that produces their olive oils, tapenades and spreads.
Le Pain Quotidien, a member of the Green Restaurant Association , is also committed to green building practices, using reclaimed wood and recycled Gypsum in construction, energy-efficient lighting, and environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and packaging.
Design
Le Pain Quotidien restaurants are simply designed with tan plastered walls and tractor seats and colorful rugs adorning the walls. A signature of each restaurant is its communal table, which is made from reclaimed wood by a Belgian company, Antiques & Design.International Reach
Le Pain Quotidien currently operates 151 bakery-café worldwide in 26 cities and 18 countries, including BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(with a strong presence in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and Washington DC). The first location in the US opened in 1997 in Manhattan.The next market to open in 2011 is Brazil.