Meet Laurène Gaucher, Café Bouffon’s new head chef
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
When Laurène Gaucher was asked how she felt about being the new head chef at Café Bouffon, she said "It's good. It's a new challenge."
Chef Gaucher came to Canada from Lyon, France and brings nine years of culinary experience. She was a private chef in Lyon and Monaco and worked in fine dining restaurants such as Chez Moss, Villa Blanche on Réunion Island and La Balançoire.
Café Bouffon, a French bistro in Stratford above Pazzo Pizzeria, and Gaucher match together well as both focus on classical French culinary techniques and highlighting seasonal ingredients.
"It's a very exciting chapter for Café Bouffon to welcome Laurene to the team,” said Chloe Miller, chief administrative officer of Pazzo and Café Bouffon.
Chef Gaucher is learning more about the local ingredients grown in Perth County and got to visit a local farm to source produce. She prefers the farm-to-table cheffing style and is eager to create French dishes with Canadian vegetables.
"We're so excited to have Laurène joining us because she has an extensive history and extensive training in French cuisine but also she brings a natural enthusiasm and curiosity; curiosity about Stratford, curiosity about Canada, curiosity about the bounty of ingredients that we have and watching her explore that and presenting that with her traditional French cuisine is something really special that we're excited about,” Miller said.
For Gaucher, her favourite part of being a chef is seeing the joy when customers enjoy the food she made.
"I like to see the smiles on the faces of people when they eat,” she said.
Stratford and area diners got to try a taste of Gaucher’s creations during a pop-up five-course dinner on April 30. Winemaker Alex Baines of Beamsville winery Hidden Bench was also in attendance to pair wine with the meal.