With his wife Lauriane, Arnaud Lépicier took over the family bakery, opened by his grandfather just after the war. His parents then took over.
A little new blood in a family story which has lasted since 1947 and which is not ready to end. Arnaud Lépicier says it bluntly: he is not in the magic potion into which he fell as a child, but in the mess.
Son and grandson of a Picardy baker, he has just taken over as co-manager, with his partner Lauriane, the historic Lieuvillers bakery. “And the fourth generation is already behind the stove because my son Hugo also works here as an apprentice”smiles Arnaud Lépicier. Even if it took almost a quarter of a century for the latter to take over from his parents who had, from 2001 to 2018, handed over to another professional, it is now Arnaud and Lauriane who are at the head of L&A Boulange. He is a baker and pastry chef by trade and has diversified into the industrial sector by working in large groups. She worked in supermarkets for a long time and has good eating in her blood.
In the renovated bakery, a snacking area and tea room
A bakery that has also changed its look. More than two years of work were necessary to realize what Arnaud Lépicier had in mind. In addition to the upstairs accommodation and the laboratory, the customer reception area has been redesigned to create a seating area. In summer, a terrace will open in front of the establishment. “We redid everything from A to Z”underlines Arnaud Lépicier who does not hide having had some small problems with electrical connections. But now, everything is up to standard and the bakery is running at full capacity. “We supply the canteen of the school group of 6 villages and we hope to be able to sell our bread to the retirement home which has 60 residents“, underlines Arnaud Lépicier.
A crack team behind the stove
However, for the new owner of the premises, taking over the Lieuvillers bakery is quite a challenge. Although he received €8,000 in aid from the Communauté de communes du Plateau Picard, he announced that no bank supported his project. “Around here, bakeries are more likely to close so it’s a challenge…”.
But the baker is convinced that he made the right choice and can boast of only having the seeds of champions in his team. His son Hugo and Anthony Orget, one of his two workers, were both crowned in competitions dedicated to the pancake and the croissant. Without forgetting Fanck Vayron, the fifty-year-old pastry chef, to whom Arnaud Lépicier gave a chance. Finally, Nolan Fromentin, also an apprentice, completes this shock team.
But a brigade, however excellent it may be, is not enough to make a food establishment like this successful. “We work with the Lieuvillers grocery store for salad and ham. For the flan, we have freshly milked milk from the Rémécourt farm, our meats, for the burgers, come from the butcher's shop in La Neuville-Roy and our eggs from Angivillers.”concludes Arnaud Lépicier, who has a project that adds attractiveness to this already very welcoming village.
Emeline Bertel
