Pascal Rigo

Pascal Rigo was born in N'Djamena, formally known as Fort-Lamy. At the age of 7, after running a daily errand to buy two baguettes for his family,{{cite news|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/12/24/FDGJU3QL1R1.DTL&hw=pascal+rigo&sn=002&sc=756|date=2003-12-24|title=Bread bakers bank on lots of dough:Tips from Bay Area's Rigo and others make baking easy|author=Karola Saekel}} Rigo apprenticed at his village's bakery.{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2001/09/17/smallb1.html|publisher=San Francisco Business Times|date=2001-09-14|title=Rising profile:Businessman and baker Pascal Rigo is rolling out restaurants across the city|author=Julie Ratner}} He later earned a business degree from the University of Bordeaux and became a certified professional baker. Rigo first moved to California to begin importing local wine from France. He stayed in the U.S. to open a bakery in Los Angeles and later moved to San Francisco.

In 1996, Rigo founded Panissimo Group, which ran the bakery on Pine Street that later became Bay Bread. He chose to live and have an office at the central location in a former French laundry on the busy thoroughfare. Rigo also bought and continues to operate San Francisco's oldest flour mill, which Bay Bread uses to produce organic flour for its loaves. Rigo originally intended to operate his business as a wholesale bakery, but soon began selling loaves and then croissants directly to the public. A positive review in the San Francisco Examiner initially popularized the bakery.{{cite web|publisher=Bay Bread|url=http://baybread.com/pine.php?PHPSESSID=03ca183ed3afc870f6c916ac14bdb369|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051208051432/http://www.baybread.com/pine.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-12-08|title=Boulangerie at Pine Street}} Rigo renamed it the "Boulangerie" after painting the word on the colorful awning over the sidewalk, and then opened similarly themed dine-in bakeries throughout the city. One, in Cole Valley, is the site of the former Tassajara Bakery,{{cite web|url=http://baybread.com/cole.php?PHPSESSID=03ca183ed3afc870f6c916ac14bdb369|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070107080259/http://www.baybread.com/cole.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=2007-01-07|publisher=Bay Bread|title=Boulange de Cole}} where San Francisco's modern artisan bread movement began.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Rigo and his business partners invested in and founded a number of restaurants, including Soleil, Rigolo, Gallette, La Table, Le Petit Robert, Chez Nous, Americano,{{cite news|publisher=SFist|title=Gastronomique: Sous le Soleil Exactement|url=http://sfist.com/2005/06/02/gastronomique_sous_le_soleil_exactement.php|date=2005-06-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716233923/http://sfist.com/2005/06/02/gastronomique_sous_le_soleil_exactement.php|archive-date=2011-07-16}} and Plantanos. One of these restaurants, Cortez, earned a Michelin Star.{{cite news|work=Los Angeles Times|url=http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/food/la-fo-journal24oct24,1,966153.story|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130128155817/http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/food/la-fo-journal24oct24,1,966153.story|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-01-28|title=New Michelin guide sprinkles stars in Bay Area|date=2007-10-24}} In 2001, Rigo and partners bought Oh-La-La, one of San Francisco's oldest coffee house chains.{{cite news|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|title=Trendspotting|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/09/16/CM75661.DTL&hw=pascal+rigo&sn=001&sc=1000|date=2001-09-16|author=Heidi Benson}}{{cite news|title=Breadmaker Rises Up to Swallow Oh-La-La Coffee Chain|author=Carol Emert|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|date=1999-10-03|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/10/13/BU26850.DTL&hw=pascal+rigo&sn=075&sc=719}} The group later divested of most of its restaurants to concentrate on its bakeries.{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/02/FDVKVR0PB.DTL&type=printable|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|title=The Inside Scoop: San Francisco's Cortez, Pescheria sold; Perry's closes|date=2008-04-02}}{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/23/FD9M11RHC6.DTL&hw=pascal+rigo&sn=002&sc=350|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|title=The Inside Scoop: Gastropub planned for Marina; Ponzu gets a new chef|date=2008-07-23}} In 2009, they bought a share of Miette, a small chain of candy stores and cupcake bakers.{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/14/FD0P156T0Q.DTL&hw=pascal+rigo&sn=001&sc=291|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|date=2009-01-14|title=Manresa's Syhabout eyes Jojo's space}}

In addition to its retail operations, the company supplies bread to grocery stores, restaurants, and hotels in the area. Some rival food entrepreneurs in San Francisco's small French entrepreneur community have criticized Rigo for his fast expansion efforts.{{cite news|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/11/29/FD55094.DTL&hw=pascal+rigo&sn=007&sc=581|date=2000-11-29|title=Galette to Open in Pacific Heights|author=GraceAnn Walden}} The New York Times called Rigo "the only real entrepreneur" among the community.{{cite news|work=The New York Times|title=A taste of San Francisco: Fluent in French, with a West Coast accent|author=Amanda Hesser|date=2002-12-11|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/11/dining/a-taste-of-san-francisco-fluent-in-french-with-a-west-coast-accent.html?pagewanted=3}} Rigo has intentionally avoided publicity to avoid encouraging a backlash from critics.

In 2003 Rigo co-wrote a cookbook titled "The American Boulangerie: Authentic French Pastries and Breads for the Home Kitchen."{{cite news|publisher=Gayot|title=The American Boulangerie|url=http://www.thefoodpaper.com/cookbooks/americanboulangerie.html|access-date=2009-04-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106140825/http://www.thefoodpaper.com/cookbooks/americanboulangerie.html|archive-date=2009-11-06|url-status=dead}}

On June 4, 2012, Rigo sold La Boulange Bakery to Starbucks for $100 million.{{cite web|last=Lucchesi|first=Paolo|title=La Boulange sold to Starbucks for $100 million|url=http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2012/06/04/la-boulange-sold-to-starbucks-for-100-million/?tsp=1|work=Inside Scoop|access-date=June 4, 2012}} However, in June 2015, Starbucks announced it would close all of its La Boulange cafes by the end of September 2015.{{Cite news|title = Starbucks to close all La Boulange retail locations|url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-starbucks-closure-idUSKBN0OX0B420150617|newspaper = Reuters|date = 2015-06-17 |access-date = 2015-06-17}}

Later, Rigo announced plans to re-open six of the La Boulange locations under the name "La Boulangerie de San Francisco."{{cite news|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|url=http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2015/09/25/pascal-rigos-la-boulange-will-live-again-as-la-boulangerie-de-san-francisco/|date=2015-09-27|title=La Boulange will live again as La Boulangerie de San Francisco|author=Sarah Fritsche}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://laboulangebakery.com/|La Boulange Bakery}}

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Category:1960 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from N'Djamena

Category:People from Gironde

Category:University of Bordeaux alumni

Category:American bakers

Category:American restaurateurs

Category:Businesspeople from California

Category:Businesspeople from Bordeaux

Category:French emigrants to the United States