A French baker who arrived here in his 20s with almost nothing under his belt, became one of the key artisans in the success of the Première Moisson bakeries, which revolutionized the Quebec baguette.
“I came to Quebec with my backpack in my twenties. I liked Quebec and took steps to come back with a work permit,” Frédéric Kerbs, franchisee and managing director of Première Moisson in Quebec, tells the Journal.
“I had a few hundred dollars in my pocket. I started out as a baker. I worked my way up from baker to assistant baker and head baker. At that time I was a consultant-baker in the parent company,” continues the man from the Rhône-Alpes region in France.
night bird
As a teenager he discovered the profession of baker. Then he falls in love with this behind-the-scenes work, this night job.
“While people sleep, we work hard. We give them a little bit of joy in the morning when they pick up their croissant,” he breathes.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
Frédéric Kerbs, baker of Première Moisson in Quebec, Thursday, May 18, 2023. STEVENS LEBLANC/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC/AGENCE QMI)
In addition to leading his 35 employees at Première Moisson de Québec, Frédéric Curbs is known within the Quebec company for inventing the famous coconut and white chocolate bread recipe that we find around the snowy holidays.
“I did tests for fun. My boss tried it and had it tasted at a meeting at the Première Moisson. We do it every year in January. It’s a popular bread,” he recalls.
More than 50 bakers wanted
But to knead bread you need bakers. Première Moisson badly needs it to continue his momentum.
Founded in 1992 by the Colpron-Fiset family, the company has 24 branches with almost 800 employees in addition to its two factories. And she needs hands in the kitchen to knead and bake her baguettes perfectly.
We are looking for 50 bakers. For this reason, it has just launched a 994-hour paid baker’s course with the Quebec Institute of Tourism and Hospitality. Proofing, kneading, shaping, cooking… the training lasts eight months.
In the journal, Première Moisson vice-president and general manager Éric Côté, who arrived in March 2020 at the same time as the pandemic, hopes that these new courses will make it possible to perfect the artisan baker’s profession at home.
“We want the artisanal baking profession to continue in Quebec,” he concludes.
From the baker to the owner
At Première Moisson, bakers return home earning the minimum wage of $15.25 an hour, can make more than $22 after self-employment, and then become owners to earn extra income, explains Éric Côté.
Especially since Première Moisson does not hide his thirst for growth. After Verdun and Longueuil this year, as well as scheduled dates in Gatineau, Repentigny and Quebec, Première Moisson confirms to the Journal that the eyes are now on Ontario.
“It’s very interesting to cross the border into Ontario,” concludes the senior manager.
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