Rodolphe Landemaine (vegan) - A Baker & Pastry Chef Re-inventing France’s Traditional Baking Arts, Part 1 of 4

Veganism has exploded in the last decade, and its rise in popularity is changing the landscape of artisan baking as well. Today, it is our pleasure to explore this coming of age of vegan baking as an artform, we are fortunate to catch up with the award-winning baker & pastry Chef Rodolphe Landemaine of France, at this 100% vegan bakery in Paris, “Land and Monkeys.” Prior to enrolling in the Compagnons du Devoir and Tour de France, Rodolpphe learned the fundamentals of his craft at the vocational school CEPROC (the European Center for Culinary Professions). After six years of education and training, Chef Landemaine opened his first bakery in Paris at the age of 27. In 2014, at the height of his career, Chef Landemaine had an epiphany that would take his life in a new direction. At the time, Rodolphe was a vegetarian in the tradition of his family. “So, I reflected on it all a bit, and it became clear. I became vegan in my heart.” One year after turning vegan, Chef Landemaine set to work looking for ways to veganize the baked goods in his bakery chain. He gradually increased the number of vegan offerings in his stores, with the goal of eventually turning them all fully vegan. “For us, it was really important to say: ‘We want to keep the signature items and classics of the French gastronomy and make them vegan, to show everyone that it is not just a dream, that it is possible to succeed in making these pastries vegan.’” During that time, he also conceived the idea of opening a fully vegan pilot store from scratch. The result was the launch of the 100% vegan bakery “Land and Monkeys” in February 2020, in the heart of Paris. The store has received rave reviews both from the public and his peers.