Slide a breadknife across the surface of one of Tout va Bien’s artisan loaves, and the audible crunch sets the tone for what’s to come: a tender chew, an airy interior and a balanced, tangy flavor.
The cottage bakery is the brainchild of French expat Hugo Thefenne and his wife, Catherine Hudson Thefenne, a Baton Rouge native and University Laboratory School elementary French teacher. The couple met in France’s northwest region, Brittany, where Catherine was completing a post-graduate program in French education through LSU. It was instant attraction, say the two, who met in a Breton bar. They were married in Baton Rouge on Valentine’s Day 2019.
When the pandemic hit last spring, Hugo had extra time to try his hand at making real French bread, a staple he missed living stateside. Lots of trial and error led to successful baguettes, which the two shared with enthusiastic friends and family. But one of the fallouts of the pandemic was a sudden dearth of dry yeast. Home bakers were buying it up in droves to ward off boredom and bread shortages, and Hugo had to find another way to make his loaves rise.
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“We started using a sourdough starter instead,” he says.
A starter, used for centuries to proof bread dough, is a liquid or dough-like substance made from flour, water and wild yeast microorganisms. Bakers incorporate a little starter into each batch of dough to make it rise, and then regularly “feed” the batch with flour and water to keep it active. This ancient method is what gives sourdough bread its pleasantly sour flavor, while also making it easier to digest, the Thefennes say.
Creating a sourdough bread company became their focus. By June 2020, they had named the venture Tout va Bien, French for the much-needed 2020 mantra, “Everything is fine.” They also set up a website to manage a growing number of orders.
Last fall, they began participating in the Mid City Makers Market, something they’ll continue this year. Their first market pushed them to make 60 loaves over a 24-hour period, breakneck speed when you’re using a 30-inch stove in your Garden District apartment. The couple is in the process of buying a house, where they hope to eventually install a bread oven.
Tout va Bien’s current menu includes an all-sourdough lineup of baguettes, round loaves (boules) and sandwich bread. Its rosemary boule was the result of adding fresh rosemary snipped from the couple’s garden. The bakery also makes an “everything bagel” loaf, as well as ones studded with olives, caramelized onion or roasted garlic. A sourdough sandwich loaf is its softest textured bread, made so by the addition of butter and milk.
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Hugo and Catherine dream of one day having their own bakery, but for now, a steady flow of orders sparked by social media and word of mouth keep them busy.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Catherine says. “We love hearing how much people are enjoying it.” toutvabienbr.com
This article was originally published in the March 2021 issue of 225 Magazine.