Apollonia describes herself as “half French, half American, and 100 percent Parisian.” She grew up at Rue du Cherche-Midi 8 and even as a child she was at her happiest when in the bakehouse. She molded pieces of dough into little figures and savored the warmth, the smells, the conviviality. The bakery was her universe – she practiced her ballet there between doughs and delicacies, and even slept in a bread basket. Already at an early age, she sensed she would one day continue this tradition. “I wanted to preserve this unique craft. This connection between yesterday and today that feeds the future.”

Apollonia’s mother was an architect and designer, her father Lionel a baker, a passionate pilot, and someone who was open to everyone in this unusual quarter: to this day, the bakery is visited by philosophers, actors, and artists – among them Salvador Dalí, who had Lionel bake him a picture frame made out of bread, followed by a whole bedroom made out of bread, in the 1960s. As a homage to this encounter with the eccentric artist, a chandelier made of bread now illuminates the back room at Rue du Cherche-Midi 8. This is where her grandfather hung the works of artists who would thank him for his bread by paying with paintings. The motifs? Poilâne bread, of course.

“If you’re serious about taking over the family business one day, you need to know how to bake bread.” Apollonia took her mother’s advice to heart and embarked on her apprenticeship aged 16. Just two years later on October 31, 2002, her parents were killed in an accident. The uniqueness and brutality of the moment simply didn’t call for questions – from one day to the next, she found herself going up to her father’s office every morning, instead of down to the bakehouse as before.

Together with her experienced team, she was able to keep the business going. And Apollonia went one step further – she began to study at Harvard College in Boston and, with an immense amount of discipline, she pulled off a seemingly impossible balancing act: while her fellow students went jogging in the mornings and to parties in the evenings, as well as studying Apollonia managed a business located six thousand kilometers away with some 130 employees already back then and annual sales of twelve million euros. She would be on the phone to Paris early in the morning and late in the evening and would study during the day. She regularly traveled to Paris for important meetings and during the holidays. “Those were four incredible, enriching years,” says Apollonia, thinking back.

Poilâne now has six bakeries – five in Paris and one in London. They produce up to five thousand loaves a day, all baked exclusively in wood-fired ovens, just like in the old days. Their bricks emit balanced heat that allows the loaves to bake through gently and rise. “Wood-fired ovens give us heat that’s hot, but not violently so,” explains Apollonia. The result is tasty bread with an even crust that protects the bread and keeps it fresh. “We guard our wood-fired ovens like Roman vestal virgins tending the hearth fire in the temple,” says Apollonia laughing, before adding another unique feature: “When we take the hot loaves out of the oven, they lose a little bit of water as they cool off, and as they lose a little bit of water, they start crackling. And that’s what I call the ‘song of the bread.’ It’s unique …”     

She became aware of Birkenstock early on due to the proximity to Germany. “When I bought my first pair in the USA in early 2000, I realized they were incredibly comfortable. From then on, there was no going back. I wear them almost all the time in the summer – like many who work in our teams!”

Fashion never played a role: “As I’m on my feet a lot, I need good, comfy shoes. Birkenstocks are savoir faire shoes: they simply fit, you feel good, and they will take you a long way. For me, they serve as the perfect bridge between the city and the countryside. It’s like our bread: when I eat it, I feel good. And I love that.”

“Traditional craft calls for precision, experience, and knowledge. Tradition is an intuitive understanding of the gestures needed. By this, I mean we’re not just repeating a gesture – we understand its reason,” says Apollonia, explaining her understanding of tradition. She also draws parallels between Poilâne and Birkenstock: “There are no compromises when it comes to quality. It’s about convictions and perseverance.”

Perseverance which has paid off for Poilâne, too: when her grandfather started, there was a trend of white bread and smaller formats. People simply thought his big sourdough loaves were old-fashioned. Back then, there were six bakeries along the street. And today, a good 90 years later, there is only one: Poilâne.