L'épi Boulangerie was created in Buenos Aires in 2005 to preserve and regain the ancestral techniques in the manufacture of bread. Guided by the craftsmanship of founders Bruno Gillot and Olivier Hanocq, the bakery has managed to establish itself as a pioneer in bringing authentic bread taste to the city. Starting small, L'épi first supplied bread and viennoiserie to some of Buenos Aires's top hotels and restaurants before opening its doors to the public with a dedicated retail outlet.
The philosophy at L'épi is based on natural fermentation of products and traditional ways of baking, taking into account all the experience from the time-honored techniques combined with a modern approach to quality care. This bakery has a hundred-year-old masonry oven from 1911, fired exclusively with wood. This six-meter-diameter oven allows bread to bake at a temperature that gradually reduces in order to bring out a unique flavor and texture impossible to reproduce with modern ovens.
Bruno Gillot was born in Paris and is a pastry graduate from Le Fouquet's and Le Grand Véfour in France. An avid lover of fine bread and pastry, he arrived in Buenos Aires to join up with Olivier Hanocq to create L'épi. The equally world-traveled Hanocq was born in Paris but eventually moved on to continue his career in London, Mexico, and Brazil before landing in Buenos Aires. Together, they have opened a bakery and hosted a cookery program to share their knowledge in French baking.
The bakery is known for its commitment to artisanal craftsmanship. Every baker at L'épi makes high-quality bread from simple ingredients like flour and water through in-house training, carefully preparing every dough item with one's own hands. Every loaf is tested by a dedicated team so that customers can experience the very best of traditional French baking.
From its first boutique location in Villa Ortúzar, L'épi has expanded its stores to many locations in Buenos Aires, such as Recoleta, Belgrano, and Barrio Norte. Each one reflects a little bit of L'épi: a French-tradition bakery where an experience out of time awaits those who believe in magic-what real bread is.
L'épi Boulangerie remains a favorite for the bread lover, as the mix of old-world technique against the modern palate that Buenos Aires fosters harks to its status of a staple among the city's culinary satisfactions.
