La Fournette

Famous For: French pastries and other sweet and savory French delicacies.

Founded By: Pierre Zimmerman, an accomplished, award-winning, 4th generation baker who is originally from Strausbourg, a city in France near the border of Germany.

Fun Foodie Facts:

• La Fournette’s been rated the “Best Baguette in Chicago.
• In French, tarte flambee means “pie baked in the flames.
• Pierre won the World Cup of Baking in 1996 and is a Master Baker!
• You’ll see all of the family involved in the business: Pierre’s wife, Michelle, does all the marketing and helped to launch the brand. Luc, one of their sons, is the store manager, and Nicolas, their other son, does most of the baking himself—making him a 5th generation baker.
• The factory (in the West Loop) turns out 1000-2000 loaves of bread per day, but still don’t use chemicals or additives in their bread.

Our Recos:

Their soups are delicious (and rich) if you want to come back for a tasty lunch. Also, try the Croque Monseiur, which is sort of like a ham and cheese sandwich, only it has heavenly bechamel sauce on it! Creamy, cheesy and to die for.