Dinner with Apollonia Poilâne, CEO of Boulangerie Poilâne

Dear Ladies,

We are truly honoured to be hosted for dinner by Apollonia Poilâne, a very young CEO of Boulangerie Poilâne. Through her speech and the subsequent Q&A Apollonia will share with us her passion for craftsmanship; experience of running the family company from her Harvard dorm after the tragic death of her parents and future plans for Poilâne. If you would like to learn more about Apollonia, do read the excellent write-up in The Gentlewoman here.

Apollonia has very kindly agreed to host us in her Cuisine de Bar, where we will have the opportunity to taste her world famous sourdough bread.

We much look forward to seeing you there!

With very best wishes,

Eyedea Committee

Schedule of the Event

7.00pm - 7.45pm - Welcome drinks and nibbles

Australian tartine

Dips with Poilâne’s flavoured forks

Served with Cremant, sparkling French wine and fresh watermelon fruit juice

7.45pm - 8.45pm - At the table with Apollonia & Noemie from Poilane and Zeynep & Alice from Apleen (Zeynep & Alice are Apollonia's friends)

A selection of dips and breads

Choose from our three warm dishes all served with salads:

Smoked duck burger made with brioche, cheddar cheese, smoked duck breast and duck rillette

Croque monsieur made with toasted sourdough bread, marmalade glazed ham and cream of cheeses

French toast made with chives, coriander, basil, mint and pistachio oil

Accompanied by red and white wine

8.45pm - 9.30pm - Apollonia's Speech

9.30pm - 10.00pm - Q&A & display of Apleen's jewellery

Tea or coffee

Poilâne punitions

And a small goody bag to take home

10.00pm - End

About Apollonia Poilâne

Born into a family of artisanal bakers, Apollonia Poilâne learned early to appreciate good food and to value craftsmanship and hard work.

Founded by her grandfather in 1935 and subsequently transformed into an international brand by her father, Poilâne is probably the most famous and successful company within the bread industry. The signature Poilâne bread – a round loaf of sourdough bread with a calligraphic P on it, also known as miche, can be found today in almost every French household, including the Élysée Palace.

As a teenager Apollonia used to spend her summers in her family’s bakery, learning how to make the perfect wheel of bread during a nine month apprenticeship. Apollonia always wanted to take over the family business, but she would have never expected it to be so sudden. When her parents died in a helicopter crash in 2002, she was only 18 and about to start her studies at Harvard University.

Operating the business via e-mail from her dorm room and returning to Paris every month, Apollonia managed to further expand the business, exceeding £14 million sales a year and conquering the London bread market.

Today Apollonia is barely 30 years old and gracefully leads a business that employs almost 200 people, exports more than half a million loaves a year to more than 50 countries and stocks its products in luxury department stores, such as Partridges, Harvey Nichols and Harrods.

We are truly privileged to spend an evening with her and are grateful for her welcome to Cuisine de Bar.