French patisserie chef was working at Sydney restaurant when he was given the amicable nickname “the French bastard” by head chef . It was in no way a comment on the chef’s demeanour, but rather his very French by-the-book style of cooking, which was at odds with the laidback Australian way of doing things. So, two years later in 2019, when Abourmad along with friends and were searching for the perfect name to embody their rule-breaking concept for a new-age boulangerie in Paris, was just right.
such a venture may seem like reinventing the wheel. But in recent years, the landscape has been tainted by the proliferation of cost-saving and low-quality ingredients. Motivated by the emphasis on locally sourced, seasonal produce that Abourmad and Gunther encountered within the Australian restaurant scene, the founders decided to disrupt the stale status quo with their farm-to-table ethos.
“We always say that the bakery of the future is the bakery of the past – the very past,” explains Gunther. Each ingredient is sourced locally from artisanal producers – butter from Isigny, chocolate from Valrhona – and the product offerings follow a seasonal calendar. “We get customers who come around Christmas asking for a strawberry tart, and we take the time to explain why it’s not possible to sell this kind of product at that moment of the year,” says the co-founder.
The raspberry and poppy pavlovas at The French Bastards. Source: Geraldine Martens
The ingenuity of The French Bastards is, however, in the founders’ clever prescience that the ‘bakery of the future’ would take up shop not only in brick-and-mortar form but also online. Alongside the French classics, such as the best-selling and , are baked curiosities that Gunther cheekily describes as “food porn”: creative culinary delights that are both a novelty for tastebuds and for social media.
We always say that the bakery of the future is the bakery of the past – the very past.
Take, for example, their ‘cruffin,’ an item that pays homage to the Australian-invented hybrid pastry with which the co-founders fell in love during their travels. The oozing indulgence of the croissant-muffin medley translates seamlessly from the sensory to the screen, expanding the clientele beyond locals, who think of pastries like commodities, to include foodies and tourists who make the pilgrimage with an appetite whetted by social media. From day one, The French Bastards' Instagram account has been personally managed by Gunther himself, which extends the authentic experience of visiting one of their boulangeries into the virtual realm.
With three locations under their belt, the founders don't view their business as a simple commodity market but an opportunity to connect with the surrounding communities – which makes it stand out from other Parisian boulangeries. Replicating the barista-customer relationship that is at the heart of the Australian cafe scene, the team members make a human effort to get to know their customer. “Back in the day of Game of Thrones, we’d have to stay up till 4am on Monday morning to watch the latest episode, otherwise our customers would spoil it for us,” says Gunther. “This is how at home they feel – when they walk into the bakery, they will talk about anything and everything that’s on their mind.”
The croissants are popular items at The French Bastards, Source: Geraldine Martens
The founders are more conscious than ever of striking a balance between tradition and innovation, tailoring the product offerings of each store to the local crowd. For their latest boulangerie, the Saint-Ferdinand outpost in the 17th arrondissement, the focus leans towards the traditional, with the Bastards' twist on the classic chaussons aux pommes (apple turnovers) ringing in as a top-seller. The flagship store on Rue Oberkampf, located in the progressive 11th arrondissement, remains the most experimental and “food porn”-inclined.
Their Australian-derived name has followed the owners throughout this journey, but not without controversy.
The lemon meringue tarts look good in person – and onscreen, too. Source: Geraldine Martens
“We had some people coming in and insulting us, not so much because of the word ‘bastard’, but because we picked an English name for a very traditional French business,” says Gunther with a laugh.
His response?
“I’d ask them to name that thing they were going to buy with a piece of meat between two halves of bread. A sandwich. See? The boulangerie has been waiting for us to have an English name.”
