Sudbury Living - Spring 2008 - (Page 31)

n food Writer Todd Robson recently sat down with Bob Wygant of La Boulangerie Du Village to break bread and to see what is on the rise for the city’s downtown core Breaking Bob Wygant bread with Bob Wygant is at work each day at 4 am. “I went into this business expecting an eight-hour day,” said Wygant, who at 9 the morning we met, had almost already put in a half day’s work. “But I guess I was a little naïve it is more like 14.” But that surprise doesn’t seem to have bothered the former broadcaster, publisher and cable executive who now finds himself playing the role of a professional baker and restaurateur. After leaving the cable business, Wygant went on a search for something new and found himself living in a one-room apartment in Brooklyn, New York, and attending the esteemed French Culinary Institute. Upon his return to Sudbury in 2005, he purchased a building on the corner of Durham and Larch streets. La Boulangerie Du Village opened its doors that spring. The bakery has seen its share of change in three years. “At first, all I concentrated on was baking our breads, pastries, buns and baguettes,” Wygant said. “But once word got out and people began to give us a try, our lunch crowd began to explode. The focus shifted to cater to that demand.” And with almost 8,000 people working in Sudbury’s downtown, lunch can be a lucrative business. La Boulangerie still bakes its morning bread, but the biggest hits are the gourmet sandwiches that fly off the counter almost as soon as they are made. Whether it’s the high-end Hello Genoa salami on focaccia or Wygant’s piece de resistance, the meatball mozza, La Boulangerie Du Village offers up something for every hungry customer on the go. Wygant quickly pointed out the restaurant provides a quaint and classy French café setting for diners who wish to stay and eat, or pass an afternoon by with a cup of gourmet coffee and a fresh pastry. Outside the restaurant, Wygant looked around at what he hopes is an evolving downtown core. “Our restaurant is just one of the few new attractions that is bringing people back to Sudbury’s downtown,” explained Wygant, with a look of hopeful anticipation in his eye. He is currently the chair of Downtown Sudbury, formerly Sudbury Metro Centre. “Now we’ve got better bars, a cheese shop, more restaurants and a spa. With some support, a little luck and some vision, I think we can make this area thrive again.” Though he seems content with his current role running the restaurant and rising each morning before the sun, one has to wonder if this is just the first of many new and bold initiatives Wygant has in mind for Sudbury’s future. SL La Boulangerie Du Village is located at 104 Durham St. in downtown Sudbury and is open from Monday to Saturday 7 am - 4:30 pm. Or find them on the web at www.boulangeriesudbury.com. Spring 2008 Sudbury Living PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARG SEREGELYI 31 http://www.boulangeriesudbury.com

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Sudbury Living - Spring 2008

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