Bread has always been a symbol of sharing.
For thousands of years, it has brought communities together — across cultures, across borders, across circumstances. That’s not a marketing line. It’s the reason I chose this profession.
Over the past decade, I’ve used what I know how to do best — baking, running, organizing, showing up — to support the people and causes that matter to me. Sometimes that meant cycling 1,099 kilometers across France. Sometimes it meant spending Christmas alone in a kitchen, baking 400 cookies for strangers. Sometimes it meant mounting a coffee urn in the back of an SUV and driving into downtown Chicago on a 9°F morning.
None of these projects were large. All of them were personal.
2024 : Miles for smiles
One marathon. Six countries of support. $3,000 of hope.
On October 13, 2024, I crossed the finish line of the Chicago Marathon in 3 hours, 6 minutes and 19 seconds.
On paper, it was one race.
In reality, it was months of discipline, hundreds of training miles, and the generosity of more than fifty people spread across six countries who believed that running 26.2 miles could become something much bigger than sport.
Together, we raised over $3,000 for the Oncology Department at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, supporting children and families facing one of life’s toughest battles.
2024 : Breakfast in America
50 breakfast boxes. Hot coffee from an SUV. One cold Chicago morning.
There are many ways to measure success in baking. You can count the layers in a croissant, the customers you serve, or the business you build. But every once in a while, you’re reminded that the greatest thing a baker can create isn’t a product—it’s a moment of kindness.
Over the course of the morning, we prepared 50 breakfast boxes, each containing:
- One butter croissant
- One pain au chocolat
- One chocolate donut
Every box was paired with a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee!
2024 : 100 sandwiches
Christmas, compassion, and 100 chicken curry sandwiches.
The holiday season is often described as a time of giving, but I wanted to experience what that truly meant beyond exchanging gifts. Instead of spending the days leading up to Christmas at home, I decided to dedicate my time to preparing and delivering fresh sandwiches to people experiencing homelessness throughout Chicago.
Working alone, I spent hours preparing 100 artisan sandwiches, each made with freshly baked bread, roasted chicken, curry mayonnaise, tomatoes, and crisp lettuce. It wasn’t about creating an elaborate meal—it was about making something I would be proud to serve to anyone sitting at my own table.
The original plan seemed simple: prepare 100 sandwiches, drive into the city, and hand them out in a single day.
Reality was very different.
2021 : Cookies for hope
400 cookies. 100 boxes. 100 motivational cards.
I remember arriving in Chicago and being surprised by the amount of homeless people, and even more by the contrast of rich and poor people at the same place.
So instead of not being able to be with my family because of COVID restrictions, I’ve decided to be « there » for peoples in needs.
The 20th of December I bought my 6 lbs. of walnuts, 6 lbs. of chocolate, 100 empty decorated boxes.
The 23rd of December I’ve started the production in my kitchen. Early in the morning, I make 50 cookies batches until I run out of stock.
Total : 400 cookies
2014 : Biking solidarity
1,099 kilometers. 14 days. Montbéliard to Paris and back.
ONE DAY, ONE STORY – Montbéliard – Saturday, these two students will bike their way to Paris for the Orphans of France..
They are ready to play the « mille bornes à incendie, » a sports and solidarity event. Photo Jean-Luc GILLMÉ
Sports achievement, solidarity approach, and course element: the « mille bornes à incendie, » in which Julien and Nicolas are taking part, combines « three in one. » Both second-year students at the Belfort-Montbéliard Institute University of Technology, in the GACO Department (administrative and commercial management of organizations), have a good head on their shoulders and a steady pedal stroke.