Music in the crunch of a baguette’s crust
Pix courtesy Nathalie Pujolle from Baguette.lk
“Welcome to the world of real bread with a crust!” the description of the bakery ‘Baguette’ reads. Founded by French native Nathalie Pujolle in July 2016, Baguette is a relatively new gourmet European bakery based in Sri Lanka.
Nathalie, having an entrepreneurial background isn’t unfamiliar with working and travelling around Asia. Her previous work with high end hotels in places like Tokyo, allowed her to have an in-depth understanding of the food network, and what people are generally looking for.
She landed in Sri Lanka in 2013, spending time researching the market, becoming familiar with the Sri Lankan food industry and technically prepping herself for her own little bakery. Drawn to the country’s booming tourism industry Nathalie saw opportunity to introduce quality bread, something she passionately states she has been “working with all my heart to make it work.”
Nathalie comes from a family of foodies – who specialize in oenology. Her vision is to introduce nutritious and quality products at affordable prices, changing the lifestyle and eating patterns of our religiously chillie and oil consuming nation.
Baguette’s menu is a mishmash of German and French delicacies with a sprinkling of local flavors. Making the usually subtle French food all the more appealing to our spicy demographic.
Nathalie has a strict no preservatives rule when it comes to Baguette,with most of the core materials such as the flour which she imports from a German flour mill, the wheat, rye and other products which baguette doesn’t locally procure. However this doesn’t affect the going price of the products as items are priced between Rs100 – 500.
Baquette’saim is to change the cliché of the “bloated and unhealthy feeling” that most feel when they eat store bought bread. Keeping to her Indo-European palate, customers can sink their teeth into not only bread but pastry, cakes and confectionary with undertones of coconut, coconut oil, curry leaves, etc. One of their best sellers is their Farm Bread Oblong – classic sourdough bread. Also making their best seller list is their malt and grain, which she describes as “Not too hard and preserves very well.”
A product Nathalie chuckles that customers confuse with “multi grain”, the nutritious bread is made from seven kinds of grains and seeds.
Another fast moving product is the company’s namesake, the baguettes. The company offers two varieties of their signature product namely the Plain and Fried Onion Baguette.
“A good compromise with what Sri Lankan consumers are used to and what we are bringing,” is their fried onion baguette. This variation hits home with the mixing of the production of a plain baguette with dehydrated onions. A little bit of a salty sweet flavor without being overwhelming.
Wanting to educate and challenge customers in their bread eating habits, baguette usually offers samples of the product. “We have an open door policy to have people come and see production, to experience texture and to be adventurous in trying bread,” Nathalie adds.
With their pure French butter pastry- plain and chocolate croissants, brioche and authentic French macaroon, Baguette has something for both the savory and sweet tooth.
Nathalie finds it interesting and enjoyable in reminding customers that authentic bread isn’t soft, “Real bread has to have a real crust,” she reveals. The beauty of eating the products or even having the opportunity of “Learning and enjoying new sensations in their mouth,” and on hours on end “You can listen to the music of the crunch of the baguette” she whimsically adds.
Baguette supplies a range of products to the One Up Café, the London House of Coffee, and to Food for Thought located next to House of Wines.
For more information check out baguette.lk