Some of us are always thinking about our next meal. Why else would I take the long way home after my Saturday class at the Alliance Francaise? I was tired but planning ahead to Sunday breakfast. So I braved city traffic and drove north to Chicago’s legendary Old Town.
My destination? La Fournette, a small bakery that just opened four months ago at 1547 North Wells. This bakery is a family enterprise, but what really sets it apart is the baker himself, Pierre Zimmerman, a fourth generation master baker from Schnersheim, in the Alsace region of France.
In 2009, Chef Zimmerman sold his Schnersheim bakery, came to the States and decided to set down roots in Chicago. He now divides his time between teaching The Art of Baking at The Chicago's City Colleges affiliate, The French Pastry School, and introducing this north side neighborhood to his artisan breads. The pastry school’s co-founders, who happen to be fellow Alsatians Jacquy Pfieffer and Sebastian Concannon, are partners in La Fournette.
Chef Zimmerman is a rock star in international baking circles. He has been on teams that have won the The World Baking Cup on two occasions. He’s also holds a MOF (Maitre Ourvrier de France), the highest award given to French craftsmen. But it takes more than talent to make it in Chicago.
La Fournette’s ambitious agenda is a work in progress. Behind a welcoming facade is a deep, narrow space that combines a retail bakery with a cafeteria style cafe. To make room for tables along the wall, the display cases are lined up parallel to the door. Missing is the seductive, sensuous overload we expect when we enter a bakery and see an array of beautiful breads and glistening pastry. Absent also is air perfumed with the scents of warm bread and caramelized sugar since most of the baking is done off-site.
As is customary in Europe, breads for La Fournette are baked throughout the day to assure fresh product on the shelf. Displays of prepared foods, from crepes to sandwiches need to be replaced during the day or custom-made to maintain the same high standard. This month Chicago Magazine called La Fournette’s tuna sandwich on a multi-grain baguette among the top 50 sandwiches in the city. The one I ordered was delicious but a little soggy from sitting in the case. Pre-made sandwiches are the norm in Paris bakeries; that's not the issue. Minor changes to the application of the ingredients would keep the bread dry
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My generous bowl of vegetable soup had the rich flavor of homemade broth. You’ll never want to eat canned soup again! In the same spirit, Chef Zimmerman makes his breads with a levain (starter) which gives them a complex wheat taste and a mild sourdough tang. They reveal the personal attention inherent in baking with living yeast culture. This is where nurturing begins.
I trust La Fournette will master the logistics of running a retail bakery/cafe. It's already gained a big following in the Old Town neighborhood. And I'm willing to go out of my way to enjoy bread from a real French bakery in Chicago.
You don’t live in Old Town? Forty-five minute free parking is available across the street from the bakery. This is an aspect of the Chicago shopping experience La Fournette has solved with ease.
