Bruno Albouze Inc.

I was born in Germany and grew up in France. Because my dad served in the French Army, we used to move every five 5 years. We eventually settled in Bordeaux in southwestern France; a gorgeous city. As the fifth of seven, I have many fond memories of growing up in a large family. My passion for cooking came from my mom, dad and grandma. My Mom cooks lean food and Dad enjoys growing vegetables and aromatics while local farmer’s markets were the place to get protein and bread. I always remember my grandmother cooking her duck with olives recipe roasting in a 300 year old fireplace in a 13th century village called Cordes-sur-Ciel. As a young boy, I was always up first, rushing to the kitchen to watch Mom cooking. Sunday was the baking day since my dad would make his traditional large apple pie for the whole family and guests. Kneading the pie dough became my first hands on experience while peeling apples though.. was less fun but – what a journey!.. At the age of 14, I started working in a restaurant while apprenticing and attending culinary college in the city of Bordeaux. I remember learning to make every recipe from scratch using seasonal produce. I later however decided to make the move to the pastry and bread field because I was seduced by the complexity, the accuracy and the fine details applied to desserts and cakes – discovering the beauty of bread making was another intriguing craft. I graduated 3 years later, did my military duty at the French Air-force base in Reims; which is in the Grand Est region of France best known for its best Champagne houses. Then I returned to Bordeaux working in the patisserie field for about 10 years. Turning 29, I moved to Paris to further my career at the Ritz Place Vendôme and Plaza Athénée as a head baker under Alain Ducasse. Surrounded by such talent, you learn what cooking means. In 2003, I joined Lenotre Culinary Institute and the Pavillon Elysée. Soon after, I was told about an opportunity in Las Vegas for a pastry sous-chef position. First, I thought that the idea sounded crazy since my spoken English was nonexistent among other issues… In 2004, I took my decision and left France. The venture in Vegas didn’t work out though – I had a few tough months of experience in a patisserie in SFO; working 7 days a week and sleeping in a tiny room with broken windows with cockroaches running around above the bakery. Then I flew to San Diego for better opportunities and did teaching, farmers’ markets, catering and became a private chef. Later, I returned to fine dining restaurants and became an executive Pastry Chef. Since 2012, I have created a Youtube channel to share my passion for cooking and baking which has been a constantly growing journey appealing to families, beginners and professionals from all over the world. Bruno Albouze Inc., is my new passion, I plan on dedicating myself full-time to seeing the Bruno Albouze Bistro Cafe Bakery.