French bakers make fresh start in Kingston

BY NANCY KELLY

NovaNewsNow.com

The days may be long and the demands of running a small business numerous, but Kingston newcomers and entrepreneurs Marie-Dominique and Guy Herbreteau are finding great satisfaction bringing a traditional taste of old-world Europe to the Valley.

The couple, who have lived in Kingston since September 2007, opened the French Bakery in January in a former garage, located behind the Pharmasave off Kingston’s Main Street. “The name is simple,” says Marie, “but that is what we are; a French bakery.”

However, the road to owning a business of their own has been anything but simple.

The Herbreteaus are natives of France: Guy a trained breadmaker and Marie a cook. The two met while they were working at various locations of Club Med around the globe and shared a desire to one day open their own bakery. “But it is such a competitive business in France,” explains Guy. “In Ceret, where we were living before we came to Canada, there was a population of 7,000 and 18 places selling breads.”

Marie says finding work was also becoming increasingly difficult for her in France. “There are so many young people looking for work, and when I was barely 39 I was told many times that I was too old to hire. That made me very sad.”

Thought about making a move

After visiting boulangerie.com, an international website for bakers, the couple learned Guy’s skills as a breadmaker, passed down through his family and honed over the past 30 years, were in fairly high demand outside of France. In 2001, Guy came to Nova Scotia’s South Shore to explore employment possibilities. After a week of non-stop rain, Guy headed back, unsure about making the big move to Canada. “I brought the information home to Marie about the place and people, and the rain,” chuckles Guy. The couple decided ultimately to stay put and keep trying to establish their own business in the south of France.

In early 2002, Guy got a call from a Mahone Bay bakery that needed to hire someone with his specialty breadmaking skills. The couple then decided to give the move a try.

Traveling on a one-year immigration visa available to skilled workers, Guy returned to Canada on his own, followed shortly by Marie and their two sons.

The family stayed for a brief stint before deciding to head back to France. When they got home and their desire to own a business didn’t materialize, they felt a shift in their attitude toward their homeland. “Life wasn’t the same as when we left France,” says Marie. “Europe is changing so quickly.” The family also missed the quiet and peaceful life they had experienced and come to appreciate in Canada.

The Herbreteaus’ next trip to Canada in 2002 would be a permanent move. After living and working in Chester and Mahone Bay for nearly five years, the couple decided the time had come to try and open their own business. After making several day trips to the Valley, they decided to relocate to Kingston, influenced by its proximity to a French language school for their sons and market possibilities.

People said they were crazy

With the assistance of the Canadian Business Development Corporation, the pair opened their small shop in the dead of winter. “People said we were crazy to start a business at that time of year, but winter is actually a good time to sell bread,” says Marie.

Guy now works overnight in the bakery, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. He bakes several varieties of traditional breads from scratch, a process that is both time and labour intensive. Marie joins her husband at 4 a.m. to help in the preparation of Danish, croissant, brioche and pain au chocolat.

Around 7:30 a.m., she heads home to see her teenaged sons off to school, then begins a delivery route that takes her to Wolfville and New Minas. While she is making deliveries, Guy oversees the bakery and, upon Marie’s return, he heads home for an afternoon sleep. Time between two daily naps is spent with his boys.

While the intense daily schedule doesn’t leave a lot of time for other activities, the couple maintains the bakery industry’s tradition of taking Sunday and Monday off. They recognize their days are long, but say running their own bakery is a dream come true. They plan to expand the commercial side of the business and will also be selling their fresh breads and pastries at the Middleton farmers’ market.

After living in Canada for a year, Guy and Marie decided to pursue permanent resident status and now look forward to December 2008, when they can apply for Canadian citizenship. “Canada and Nova Scotia have been very good to us. It feels like home now,” says Marie.