A Genuine Bakery at the Heart of the Louvre Museum
Opening
A One-of-a-Kind Opening
The bakery has chosen to work with natural fermentation, using Vitus! — an ancient sourdough discovered in the Puratos Sourdough Library in Saint Vith, Belgium, which preserves the finest sourdough cultures in the world. This unique starter imparts aromatic notes of grape and honey, along with a subtle acidity, across the bakery’s various breads.
Among them, the Pain du Louvre, the signature recipe of this new bakery, is prepared, kneaded, proofed, and baked on-site, behind glass walls that allow visitors to admire every step of the process.
The chefs have created a menu that balances indulgence with traditional bakery craftsmanship, using French ingredients sourced locally. Breads, signature chocolate croissants, apple pastries, lemon tarts… each product celebrates French savoir-faire and offers exclusive creations inspired by the Louvre and its masterpieces.
Harmonious Architecture
The design of the bakery and its bakery hall was entrusted to architects Margaux Lhermitte and Corentin Nicolas from CB’a Design. A technical challenge masterfully met: open to the Pyramid, the bakery allows the public to watch the daily choreography of traditional baking — shaping dough just out of the mixer, scoring and flouring the breads, slicing croissants… A way for the world’s greatest museum to offer its visitors a truly French, truly Parisian experience.
The Head Bakers
At the heart of this project are Pascal Rigo and Arnaud Chevalier, two creative and committed master bakers, brought together with Alain Ducasse by a shared passion for taste and craftsmanship. Their bond was sealed years ago over the tasting of an exceptional baguette. Today, they share the best of French baking with visitors to the Louvre, revealing the secrets of this unique savoir-faire. A long-cherished dream for Pascal Rigo and Arnaud Chevalier has come true with the opening of this one-of-a-kind Louvre Bakery.
