Lionel Poilane- the world is feeling his loss
 

Lionel and his wife were killed in a helicopter accident off of the French coast yesterday, her body has not been recovered.<BR><BR>If you ever set foot in his bakery, tasted his bread or was ever blessed enough to share time with him, your life was changed somehow... mine was...is.<BR><BR>He was a fantastic baker, a true free spirit, and he was my friend.<BR><BR>Wendy<BR>

I saw the news last night that he was lost, and the more disheartening news this morning that he had been found. I hope the secrets of his bread have not been lost, because that man was a genius!

I saw a short news report about this earlier today. I would always make a special trip to the bakery when I was in Paris to buy the bread. This is really a shame.

St.Cirq,<BR><BR>I spent the last month with him and saw his 'secret' methods for training his staff and colleagues to keep his hand made bread making techniques alive (his passion ABOVE making bread, keeping it 'alive'), from every bakery to every warehouse from London to Paris, they've all been trained. But nothing will take his place, I mean I still cannot believe it... just thinking about how he made me roll and knead that same #^&amp;@* round ball of dough two dozen times before I not only got it 'right' but 'felt the bread breathing'....<BR>Such a joy, such a smile, if you ever set foot in his bakery, tasted his bread, or ever BLESSED enough to spend time with him, your life was changed somehow...mine was, is, will be.<BR><BR>Wendy

Oops, sorry, repeated myself.

Wendy, I too met him about the time he wrote his book which he autographed for me as a gift to a baker friend.He was charming and a great art collector.<BR>And it will never be the same, I fear.

Thank you all,<BR><BR>You are right, this goes beyond my grief...he was not only my biggest cheerleader, but a caring compassionate man willing to do anything for anyone, especially willing to give out sincere smiles for free and so genuinely.<BR><BR>I can't imagine the rue Chereche-Midi will ever be the same, our quartier and our world has been changed forever and for the better.<BR><BR>Merci de Paris,<BR>Wen

Sarah, I think at least the world of Francophiles are saddened. An intrinsic feature of French culture is its wonderful variety of bread - can you separate an image of Paris from its baguette? The quality of bread in modern society is suffering from the transition to automation; Poilane was a world-famous, award-winning artisan in a facet of French living that is very important to them, and is a reason many visitors make their way to France (to enjoy the art of eating well).<BR>So, no it is not earth-shattering to most of the world, but is definitely an unfortunate loss to French culture, and obviously a personal loss to a few posters who knew him.

<BR>&quot;Any way you slice it, a Poilane loaf is real French bread&quot;<BR><BR>http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues95/jan95/poilane.html<BR><BR>An abstract of the January 1995 issue of Smithsonian Magazine which first exposed me to Poilane and his bread. A few years later, I paid my first visit to his bakery and store at 8 Rue du Cherche Midi in the 6th. I was surprised by how tiny the store was but, ahhhh, the bread! <BR><BR>Au revoir, Monsieur Poilane, au revoir.

I am sorry to hear of the loss of Lionel Poilane.<BR><BR>And to those of you who knew him, my sincere condolences.

My condolences to anyone to whom this loss is a personal one and particularly to Wendy, for whom that is obviously the case. To those of us who know HER, she is an incredibly passionate person and I have no doubt that this posting was nothing less than genuine.

<BR><BR>And the moral of the story is...<BR><BR>Cherish life and live each day as if it's your last.<BR><BR>Because it could be.

Interesting: couple of hrs. ago I posted, saying essentially what others are saying, that those who mourn his death should be allowed to, that no one has a right to tell others for whom to grieve, etc. <BR> <BR>Lo and behold, the censors snatched it away. Wonder what criteria they use; my comments seemed pretty low key to me.<BR> <BR>And I count myself among those who are saddened by his death.

Tops: heaven forbid this one slips off of page one. More valuable input is always cherished [until it hits the chop shop, that is].

This thread is a little disjointed, so it seems it has been heavily censored.<BR> <BR>Hopefully the original poster is feeling relieved and has let out the grief. Most genuine people do it in private. But each to their own.

Coincidentally, there is a small picture of m'sieur Poilane in the new issue of Williams-Sonoma &quot;Taste&quot; magazine, and some brief comments on his bakery and his work.<BR>My condolences to those who knew him, and to those of us who shall never have the experience.<BR>

<BR>&quot;Lionel Poil&acirc;ne, Parisian Baker, Missing in Helicopter Crash&quot;<BR><BR>http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/02/international/europe/02FRAN.html<BR><BR>The article says that, while he inherited the family baking business from his father, he also, in the early 1980's, decided to use the memories of the oldest bakers in the country for advice on how to reproduce the older, less refined bread of ordinary people and that, for two years, with the help of two students, he contacted more than 10,000 bakers.<BR><BR>&quot;Using old ways is a glorious way to make new things,&quot; he once told an interviewer. &quot;The man with the best future is the one with the longest memory.&quot;<BR><BR><BR><BR>