Jeffrey LeMelle, a Louisiana-born baker, has built a thriving bakery, Bon Temps Roulé, in Colombes, Paris, embodying the hard-working spirit of his Creole heritage and American roots. Overcoming legal blindness and years of gruelling labour in construction and hospitality, he honed his craft and mastered the art of bread-making, eventually launching his own successful business. Now in his 60s, Jeffrey dreams of bringing his passion full circle by opening a bakery in Louisiana, staying true to his relentless pursuit of excellence and his deep connection to home.
The expression ‘bon temps roulé’ is one that’s readily heard in parts of Louisiana. With roots in the French Cajun community, it translates to ‘let the good times roll’.
You’ll also find this phrase sitting stylishly above a popular bakery located in the Parisian suburb of Colombes. This bakery sells a range of sweet and savoury treats that both locals and tourists can’t help but indulge in. It’s no wonder it’s listed as the top-rated bakery in the area on TripAdvisor.
The owner, Jeffrey LeMelle, might very well greet you with a friendly ‘bonjour’. After all, French isn’t just the local tongue but also the language that he grew up hearing spoken by his relatives. This wasn’t in his current home of Paris or even in France, but instead in Louisiana, United States.
“Paris was a place I’d only ever read about in books”, Jeffrey tells Kreol Magazine when reflecting on a life that’s taken him from the deep south of America to the cultural heart of Europe.
For Jeffrey, nothing has been handed to him on a plate though. There have been no easy roads – or, in this case, boulevards – taken to get him to where he is now. This has been a journey of blood, sweat, and tears.
Jeffrey puts this down to a ‘marathon’ mentality, which means he keeps running, keeps working, and keeps his head up even when times get tough.
And, unfortunately, there have been tough times.
“For me, every day is a contest,” reveals Jeffrey. “It’s not about making one day good, but about making every day good.”
Thankfully, this has paid off for this skilled baker. The good times are certainly rolling for Jeffrey LeMelle.
The American Way
Jeffrey has put everything into building his bakery in Paris. In a foreign land and far from the relatives who raised and supported him, it’s not been uncommon for him to work 20-hour shifts. Sleep – and sometimes even a bed – have at times been nothing short of luxuries that he couldn’t afford to waste time on.
“I would sleep on the floor and get back up and do the same day all over again,” admits Jeffrey.
This work ethic is something that’s long been established in Jeffrey. Whether it’s been helping with family chores in Louisiana or grueling days in the construction industry in Alaska, he’s never been shy of doing an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.
Indeed, this attitude is a byproduct of being born and raised in America.
Jeffrey reveals: “People ask me ‘how can you work all day?’. I say it’s a part of me that came from the United States.”
He adds: “People work day in and day out for nothing over there.”
There was no shortage of hardworking family members for Jeffrey to look up to while growing up in Louisiana. In particular, his dad – a merchant marine who served in World War II – was always on the go.
He sadly passed away while Jeffrey was still a young child. This meant that Jeffrey wasn’t blessed to have too many memories of his father, but what he can recall has clearly had a big influence on him and has gone a long way to shaping the man that he’s become.
“What I remember about my father is that he would work all the time,” says Jeffrey.
Of course, Jeffrey can recall many more memories of his childhood. The French language echoed through his home and there was always an interest in his ancestry. He can trace his roots back to countries in East Africa, such as Kenya and Ethiopia, as well as France and the United States. In addition, his paternal grandmother was American Indian.
“That’s my DNA,” explains Jeffrey. He continues: “That’s the bloodline I have in me. I guess that’s my mix of Creole.”
When reflecting on his home life, Jeffrey’s memories are intrinsically linked with being Creole. He can remember his home being ‘full of food’ like beans and rice, as well as the way the garden both linked and bonded his family with the rest of the Creole community.
Jeffrey’s family – including his wider family – managed to get by. They might not have been millionaires or titans of industry, but they cherished the things that truly matter in life.
“They were just simple, hardworking people from Louisiana,” he explains.
It all sounds so uncomplicated. The lesson was clear: you work hard, you cherish those around you and you don’t let anything stand in your way.
The latter was definitely true for Jeffrey, who sadly had one major obstacle standing in his way.
Cake, Not Crumbs
Jeffrey was diagnosed as legally blind when he was a young child. This was discovered when he fell on a nail and cut himself, in the process leaving a scar on his body. This incident left those around him feeling perplexed, and shortly afterwards, he was found to have problems with his eyesight.
Jeffrey recalls: “I couldn’t see, I would always fall through things.”
The odds were stacked against a young Jeffrey. However, he didn’t allow his blindness to define him. It was merely an obstacle – and obstacles can always be overcome.
His mother played a bit part in this. She instilled in him a belief that he could still be the best at whatever he put his mind to.
Reflecting, Jeffrey says: “When I was a little kid, my mom used to tell me I could do whatever I wanted to do.”
“She would say: ‘If you are a thief, be a good thief. If you dig a ditch, be a good ditch digger. Whatever you do, try to be the best at it’.”
These wise words were given to Jeffrey several decades before he would open his own bakery in Paris. They clearly had an effect on him, though, because during his youth, he never doubted his ability to make a success of himself.
In fact, this self-confidence could sometimes rub people up the wrong way.
Jeffrey explains: “When I would tell people I wanted the cake and not crumbs, they would get mad at me all the time!”
Obviously, Jeffrey was right to dream big and chase these dreams all the way to another continent. There’s no doubt that he’s achieved ‘the cake’ that he sorely deserves. And it’s all the more fitting that he did this by becoming a baker.
Leaving Louisiana
Jeffrey didn’t quite take a one-way flight from Louisiana to France. Instead, he first ended up moving to Alaska. Beforehand, however, he would suffer a tragedy following the death of his father.
It’s never easy to reflect on a parent’s passing, but Jeffrey does this with such poignancy when remembering how his dad’s life was forever changed following his time in World War II and the development of PTSD. He was just a teenager when he served and what he saw during those years scarred him to the point where he had to turn to alcohol as an adult.
“When you see the bones falling off people, I guess for most 17-year-old kids it was a lot to see,” says Jeffrey.
He summarises: “I think my father suffered with that.”
Jeffrey’s father had ties to Alaska, which was ultimately one of the reasons why Jeffrey decided to move there from Louisiana. He quickly gained a job working in the construction industry, where despite his young age he soon proved himself to be a fast learner and a hard worker.
These two attributes made for the perfect recipe for success, long before he would discover the perfect recipe for bread!
“I was just a little kid,” explains Jeffrey. He adds: “Everybody that worked for them was like 45 to 50 years old. I was the youngest kid there and I used to run around for them.”
While the hours might have been rather long and fairly grueling, Jeffrey was at least able to earn some serious money in the sector. He wasn’t frivolous with it either, instead choosing to live by the advice that he’d been given by his grandfather.
Jeffrey recites: “My grandfather used to tell us all the time that it’s not how much you make, it’s how much you can save.”
In addition, other people were more than happy to share pearls of wisdom with Jeffrey. This includes a woman who worked at the construction company where Jeffrey was employed.
She’d seen how men in similar positions had frittered away their earnings and as a result had not truly been able to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
Jeffrey reminisces: “She’d tell me to make sure I wasn’t going to the strip joint or smoking dope or drinking whiskey with the guys. She’d tell me all the time to beware of everything!”
If the construction job wasn’t taxing enough, Jeffrey also began to dip his toe into the hospitality industry. He got a job in a hotel kitchen, and on the side, he was also going to culinary community college.
He was learning new skills (skills, it should be noted, that would lead to the fulfilling career he has today), but in many ways he was burning the candle at both ends. Jeffrey began to put sleep on the back burner as he divided his time between construction and hospitality.
Jeffrey remembers: “I worked 12 hours during the daytime. And I would go home and go to sleep at about seven o’clock at night.”
He continues: “I would then work from about 10 o’clock until six o’clock in the morning. After that I would go back to work for my job in construction.”
This pattern of long hours and minimal sleep might have left Jeffrey feeling exhausted, but little did he know at the time that his hard work was about to pay off.
C’est La Vie
There are plenty of cultural differences between Louisiana and Alaska. For Jeffrey, however, his next home was quite literally half the world away.
Yes, Paris was calling.
Jeffrey had begun to make valuable connections in both the construction and hospitality industries. In particular, one person gave him a wake-up call and helped him realise that he might not be achieving his full potential.
Jeffrey explains: “This guy had just got off the boat. He didn’t even speak English and he had already got his own place. Meanwhile, I’ve been here all my life!”
These friends and acquaintances didn’t just motivate Jeffrey, but also provided him with a roadmap to a completely new future.
He reveals: “This one morning they just called me up and said that they’d got me a round trip ticket to go to France.”
Of course, Jeffrey didn’t take much convincing. And who could blame him? The City of Light was waiting!
Jeffrey’s relatives, on the other hand, couldn’t quite wrap their heads around his decision. At the time, he was making about $2,000 a week, and it left them stunned that he would even fathom walking away from such a lofty paycheck. They were so confused that some people close to Jeffrey even contemplated that he might be suffering from AIDS.
“They really thought I was sick with AIDS and that I was leaving because you couldn’t get a lot of help in the United States,” says Jeffrey.
In the end, Jeffrey quit his job, packed his bags, and flew to Paris. A new adventure – and career – was waiting for him.
Not Quite a Cakewalk…
Everything didn’t immediately fall into place when Jeffrey arrived in Paris. While this would be the place where he’d one day open his own bakery, this wouldn’t come to fruition until many years later.
Jeffrey once again had to roll up his sleeves and prove just what he was made of. He took an unpaid job, and in the process began living off savings. This at least allowed him to keep improving his skills, which he did for the initial six-month stint where he was in Paris.
Afterwards, he took up a role in Switzerland. This would become his home for the next few years, where he would work in a bakery (usually for 12-hour shifts). Later, this fast-paced lifestyle would continue when he moved to Normandy in France. It was here that Jeffrey met a woman who would one day become his loving wife and the mother of his children.
Jeffrey recalls: “I worked three or four jobs in the beginning while my wife went to school. She wanted to work with kids.”
While racking up the hours in the kitchen, Jeffrey received an offer to work for bread-maker Eric Kayser. Working with such culinary experts allowed Jeffrey to do ‘something different every day’ and he quickly began expanding his repertoire.
In particular, he began to hone a real talent for making bread.
“I didn’t completely know how to bake bread yet, but I was learning,” remembers Jeffrey.
He adds: “I saw how good the bread was and I got interested in it. It made me change my mind about bakers!”
Bread would soon become Jeffrey’s forte, alongside cakes, pastries and croissants. This provided him with a strong skillset that commanded a much higher wage than his employers could afford to pay him.
Following a string of 24-hour days, he told his boss that he was thinking about setting up his own place.
Jeffrey recalls: “I said I need to get my own place. And they said ‘we know you need to get your own place because we won’t pay you for your full value. You’ve got to know yourself with your full value.”
And just like that, Jeffrey’s life took another exciting turn.
The Start of Something Special
Jeffrey was told that it wouldn’t be easy. He was warned that his own business would take up even more of his time, could leave him even more out of pocket, and possibly even restrict what he’d be able to produce in the kitchen.
This didn’t deter him.
The fact is, however, is that it was hard. Jeffrey did encounter troubles and sometimes they would be enough to bring him to tears.
He says: “When I had all those problems, I used to sit down and cry.”
Still, the bread was made and it quickly attracted customers. In fact, Jeffrey soon became a master-in-the-making when it came to bread and began to earn a firm reputation for this.
The long days didn’t go away – perhaps they never will. But Jeffrey did achieve something that not every business owner can lay claim to: he was happy.
“I’m always happy,” reveals Jeffrey. “It’s not like how some people say that they don’t like to go to their jobs. I love my job!”
You can now find Jeffrey’s bakery in Colombes, Paris. Look for the sign that reads ‘Bon Temps Roulé’ and be sure to keep an eye out for the gentleman who owns this artisan boulangerie. If he’s smiling, then you now know why.
The American Dream
Jeffrey is now 62. He has a wife, a family, and his own business. You could say that his American work mentality has helped him achieve the American dream… only in Paris.
He doesn’t plan on stopping. Or at least not until he reaches his next goal: to save a million dollars before retirement. Regardless of whether this ever comes to fruition, there’s no denying that Jeffrey has experienced triumph in his life. The people of Paris have tasted his bread, and in return, he’s tasted success.
While Jeffrey’s bakery continues to boom, it still monopolises much of this time. This isn’t stopping him from dreaming of another endeavour, though – one that’s a lot closer to home.
He divulges: “I still have more to do, but I don’t know if I will ever get a chance to do it. If I could, I would love to open a place up in Louisiana.”
If this were to happen, it would surely be a full circle moment for a man who’s never forgotten his southern roots, no matter where his life has taken him.
