【Monday Foodie Feature】LALOS Bakery, Authentic Southern French Homemade Flavor

Before the morning opening hours, LALOS Bakery staff are making their final preparations. Even at this early hour, many passersby can't wait to ask, “Are you open yet?”

 

Head chef Frédéric Lalos, who holds the title of the youngest ever recipient of France’s prestigious “MOF” (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) in the craft of bread baking, and whose bread is endorsed by 18 Michelin stars, has made his first overseas branch in Taipei the talk of the town since its launch. At peak hours, the queue often stretches around the block, prompting the team to not only rely on long-time disciple Guillaume Pedron but also urgently bring over another chef from Paris to assist.

 

LALOS Bakery delivers the most authentic flavors of southern France, using milk, cheese, and butter all sourced from a small town called Isigny-sur-Mer in Normandy, in the southwest of France. The milk produced here has been renowned across Europe since the 13th century. Lalos’ dedication to these ingredients stems from his upbringing in Normandy; having grown up immersed in its culinary traditions, he has unwavering confidence in the quality of his hometown butter. Even on the other side of the world in Taiwan, he is committed to showcasing the most genuine taste of southern France. That’s why the flavor of LALOS in Taiwan is the same as in France — the only differences being slight adjustments in fermentation and baking times based on Taiwan’s temperature and humidity. The meticulous and refined baking process is all designed to ensure the bread is as fresh as can be.

 

One of Lalos’ most astonishing creations is the “Chouquette,” a delicate and tiny cream puff that was once a favorite dessert among French nobility. Lalos’ version is soft, fragrant, and richly layered, topped with a dusting of snow-white powdered sugar — its sweetness perfectly balanced, making it impossible to stop at just one. The French newspaper Le Figaro, the country’s most widely circulated publication, even praised it as “the best Chouquette in Paris.” Customers at LALOS Bakery, whether they’re buying baguettes, croissants, or pizza toast, almost always leave with a few Chouquettes. On a regular day, the Taipei branch sells around seven to eight hundred of them.

The popularity of the Chouquette might have been expected, but the biggest surprise in terms of sales is another popular item — the “Chef’s Recommended Buckwheat Baguette.” This classic, authentic French baguette is made with a proprietary rye flour blend and high-quality buckwheat. It features a crispy crust and a soft, chewy interior, with no added honey yet still offering a hint of natural sweetness, along with a subtle tang from aged dough. Initially, the chef was concerned that those unfamiliar with French bread flavors might not take to it, but the buckwheat baguette’s success shows that Taiwanese palates have embraced this French taste — a delightful outcome.

 

Though Lalos remains committed to authentic French flavors, he has also created special items tailored to Taiwanese tastes — none of which are available in any of his five French stores. For example, knowing that Taiwanese women love cranberries, he introduced a traditional cranberry flavor. He also crafted a honey bread, inspired by the excellent taste of Taiwanese honey. Most interesting of all is the “Taiwanese-style Focaccia,” filled with chicken and red beans. During his market research in Taiwan, Lalos noticed that every local bakery offers a red bean bread, so he developed his own version. However, while others make theirs sweet, Lalos’ red bean bread is savory — a unique twist that invites everyone to try this French-style savory red bean bread. In the future, Lalos also plans to incorporate Taiwanese ingredients like seaweed and guava into new recipes. The exciting possibilities have everyone eagerly anticipating what’s next.

 

To maintain the freshness of every loaf, LALOS Bakery does not bake according to a fixed schedule. Instead, bread is baked throughout the day based on sales demand. In fact, you could say bread is coming out of the oven all day long. To accommodate this, LALOS Bakery specially installed ovens in its Taipei 101 location. These ovens have four tiers, each with independently adjustable temperatures, allowing different types of bread to be baked simultaneously without affecting one another — ensuring delicious, freshly baked bread is always ready.

Adjusting baking and fermentation times according to humidity is crucial at LALOS Bakery, and the heart and soul of the Taipei kitchen is Lalos’ disciple, Guillaume Pedron. Having been with Lalos for six or seven years, he was already capable of managing two stores independently in Paris. The young and handsome Guillaume Pedron developed an interest in food and hospitality from a young age. After graduating from culinary school, he interned at a bakery and was instantly captivated by the art of bread baking. Guillaume Pedron says that working with sourdough is constantly changing, and feeling those subtle differences by hand is a fascinating experience — which is why he chose to devote himself to the baking craft, even joyfully crossing oceans to introduce the beauty of authentic French bread to the people of Taiwan.

 

With his unwavering commitment to ingredient quality and constant pursuit of perfection, it seems only natural that Frédéric Lalos’ bread is chosen by so many Michelin-starred restaurants in France. And if you haven’t had the chance to enjoy Michelin-level cuisine yet, a visit to LALOS Bakery lets you get a taste of that star-quality flavor first-hand.

 

【Profile】Frédéric Lalos

In 1997, at the age of 26, Frédéric Lalos won the “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” (MOF) in the craft of bread baking — the youngest ever recipient in the award’s history.

He operates five directly managed stores in Paris and its suburbs, and his bread is supplied to 11 Michelin-starred restaurants in France (totaling 18 stars) as well as several international hotels.

In 2010, he was named “Baker of the Year.”

In October 2011, his first overseas store, LALOS Bakery, opened in Taipei 101, followed by a second branch on Anhe Road in Taipei in late October 2013.

 

【Info】LALOS Bakery

Address: B1, 45 Shifu Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City (Basement Level, Taipei 101 Mall)

Phone: 02-8101-8355

Facebook: LALOS Bakery

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