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Dominique Ansel

lines on the record: 86
first: 2024-06-17
most recent: 2024-06-17
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

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“She wrote this beautiful piece on the New York Times. And I remember right after that, we were like, you know, busy-ish, not too crazy in the beginning, after the New York Times article, I think it was like two weeks after we opened, we were slammed every single day. It was like madness.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So since you know I was at Daniel and Daniel of course is a star with all the media and In New York and in the US as well, people pay attention because I came from Daniel. I work for Daniel for so many years and people want to see what I do. So of course it's one of the first things that actually Daniel told me when I left. He said, remember whatever you do. My name is Tajau. So you better do well. And I kind of like smirk when he says that, but now I see it and now I understand it. And so we had the New York Times Florence Fabrican that came to the bakery before we opened asking questions, see what I was going to do. And she came back after we opened as well to taste the food. And she, you know, she loved it.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That was one of my pit peeves before I opened the bakery because a lot of people were telling me to make cupcakes. They were telling me that a lot of French chefs have tried to open a bakery in New York and failed, that I shouldn't do it. They were telling me, they were giving me all these advices without me asking. I don't mind cupcakes. I've had more bad one than good ones, but I never wanted to do cupcakes.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“No, I wanted to be Dominic Ansel Bakery. I wanted to be my own. I have to say, I have to admit I was very innocent back then. And completely unaware of what it will take to open a business. So we open with four employees. We had no managers, no, I remember looking at bank accounts on a business bank account, have like $2,000 left. And I was like, how the hell are we going to make it? My kitchen was probably without exaggerating 15 feet by 10 feet. That was my kitchen. That was one table, and the door shater was sitting on the table.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And I painted the bakery, I did some tile work because I did this from the kid, electrocuted myself a few times, changing outlets, you know, cleaned the toilet, fixed the computer, and we patched it up back up and we opened the bakery. And that's all we had. And we had four employees.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It was like set up as a bakery. And I walk in the bakery and I fell in love. I was like, this is the place. This is like perfect. You had a little garden in the back. You know, it was not very pretty. It was not very good looking. I fix it up. And at the time, I was dating this girl who was in Hong Kong. She was a food writer. This girl was my girlfriend. And she became my wife. And I dragged her into New York. I said, hey, why don't you come help me open the bakery? And she had a little bit of savings as well. So we put everything we had, both of us and on table and started this way.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So back then, I was looking for investors. I had reached out to a few people. I was talking like two, three people that were more or less serious. I had nothing. I had like a couple thousand dollars of savings. So I was hoping to get investor. And I had this meeting with my designer to see a space on Union Square. I didn't walk out. It went back to his Soho office. got off the train on Spring Street, walked by the bakery and called me like, hey, this is the space here. This is bakery, you know, not too far from our office. It looks pretty good shape. Like you should check it out.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think that was the biggest thing for him. I remember like... Because of course he was not happy about it. And I think it was like looking back probably hurtful for him. It was such a tight close team. It was almost like losing a son. But, you know, he's smart. It's been nothing but supportive to me. And, you know, I will always be grateful to have the opportunity of coming with him to walk under him and to learn so much.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“You know, so it took me about at least a year to get comfortable with what I was doing at Daniel, to find my style first, find my style of plate a dessert. And like after a year, four, five, I was hungry for something else. I want to do something else. I remember actually going to see Daniel and talking to him about what I want to do, open a bakery and showing him the business plan. And I remember going back to him like, hey, we should talk and do something. We can do it together. He was like, no, Dominique, I'm sorry. You know, it's a little too risky. I'm not sure it's a good time.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Absolutely. It's a lot of for sure. And one of the first things that Daniel said to all of us, and I always remember, I've heard it before, but that's the first thing you say, say, that three mission star, it's hard to earn three mission star is much harder to keep.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“No, I had no specific assignment just to follow the style of cooking and make some good desserts. I have to admit at the time, I was very nervous because coming from Fauchon, managing 100, 120 people in the kitchen to managing 10 people at Daniel, piece of cake. But add the cultural difference, add the restaurant setting, add the language barrier, add all of this that makes it super challenging.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And then he offered me a job writing in there. And then I know that eight weeks later, I came to New York with two suitcases and I took a small apartment in Queens and I started working at Daniel.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Daniel invited me to come to New York for a few days to do a testing for him and to meet and to see the restaurant and had prepared probably a thing was like four or five desserts plus a cake, some vinosis, some petifou. So I remember like he was sitting down on table. So I dropped the first desserts, come back, clean up, drop the second desert. And I was standing next to him. He looked up and was like, so when can you start? I was like, excuse me.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So we had some friends in common. They had mentioned my name and gave my number, and Danielle just calls me out of the blue and tells me about Rason Daniel and how he's interested. He's in my resume and he won't talk to me. And a little bit of research, of course, at Daniel, the restaurant, what he was doing. I loved New York. I had visited before. And before I went to Daniel, a lot of people told me, you know what, it's going to be tough. It has high expectation. It's a very difficult job. And the more I would hear this, the more it will make me like want to do it.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, and you can still do it in front, you know, declare bankruptcy for a company, but there's a lot of things that are attached to you personally. That is, it's hard to get out of.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think deep inside since I started, I always wanted to do my own thing. I had some up and down into opening the business, mostly looking back, I was scared of the financial aspect. I was always scared like how much it would cost, how much risk it would be for my life, and spending too much and taking risks. But deep inside, I always want to open my own thing.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I mean, you know, I think my entire life observing was something that I was very good at. So growing up, I always observed my siblings, you know, all the things they were doing, all the bad things, all the good things. I was pick and choose what I want to do. And I think I was seminar kitchen. So I've seen a lot of people, you know, I've seen a lot of chefs yelling and screaming. And it always made me feel uncomfortable. I see them putting pressure on people. I see them like that was not my style.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I was not by myself. It was another chef. Plus a lot of others to Chef and was one of the sous chef. So one of the youngest in the kitchen actually.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So yes, I left PLT after one year and I walked into Fauchon because I knew I was one of the best bakery. I was a seasonal worker, so I was hired for the holidays from September to December. So I was one of 30 people higher, actually. And towards mid-December, they caught us all in a room. They told us they will keep one person only. And they had chosen me to stick. So I was supposed to stay for four months. I ended up staying for close to eight years. And when I was there, I was after six months, I was promoted as share departy and then quickly into Sousheff, I was 24. They bought like another like 10 locations. I was in the kitchen. I was in charge of a team of over 100 people.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, actually for bankruptcy, unfortunately, a few years ago, and they closed everything now. It was one of the most prestigious bakery and retail. And it's like the most high-end child.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, it's a real craft. That's one of my saddest things, you know, going up in France. I've been to lots of bakeries. I love bread. By nature in France, people think that bread should be cheap. And I don't believe in that. I believe the bread should be a little bit more expensive. It takes so much labor and so much time.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So the first day we mixed the dough, and then you have to let it ferment, remove all the gas from the fermentation, let it chill. The next day you incorporate the butter and you give all the folds. And then you cut it, you roll it. And day three, you have to rest overnight. Day three, you ferment it again and then you bake it.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Only a few people can do this because most people's hands are too hot to handle the butter. But I've always had call hands my entire life.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And I can say that I have no shame to say it. I still like perfect Mac Poisson every day, but the way we were making it, so instead of putting the butter inside the dough, we used to cream the butter in our hands. So it has to be pliable, but not. Not too soft, not too hard. Not And you will spread it with your fingertip inside the dough in two additions.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, I decided to go to Paris, the capital from the countryside, and to find a job in a bakery. So I knew nobody, I had no connections, no cell for the time, still had this like big, like huge map. And I was completely lost in the city. I had printed out a few resumes. And I'll drive around for like hours, like for many days. And every time we'll see a bakery, I'll randomly park the car, run inside drop off my resume. And I found a job at Petsky Pelta, which was at the time one of the oldest pastry shops in Paris. I will always remember this job because to this day, I think there I made one of the most beautiful croissants I've ever made.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It's also art, it's also like creating building from scratch. I think there's, I was a lot more attracted to those steps of building, understanding the science and the precision of it. This was more matching my personality and what I wanted to do.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think I still love both. I think cooking is more like feeling, tasting, seasoning, and baking is more like scientific. It's precise.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Doing my training in the beginning stage. So I did two years in a restaurant with the same program and then I did one year in a bakery. So that was my first taste of learning baking. So I did work in a bakery for a year.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I didn't know. It took time for me to appreciate what I was doing. And then loving it. And I think when you reach that level of loving what you do, this is where you really blossom and you really explore cooking at a different level”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So at that time, I had no choice. I had no choice to get a little bit of money to support the family, and I had no options to quit quitting was not an option.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So, this, you know, like this is horrible. I would go to work every morning waking up with like a nod in my stomach in fear of going to work. They'll insult me, you know. And luckily, a year later, the restaurant was sold to a younger chef. And he was tough, but it was a much better person. He started showing me and teaching me, showing me how to appreciate cooking, buying nice ingredients and teach me how to work with them, how to like cook it. And I started developing the care and the love for what I was doing”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Learning culinary. But my first year was just like miserable. I hated everything about it. The people I was working with were just terrible. Abusive in every sense of the way. So they will cut me with knives. Yeah, just for fun. Look at me laughing. There's souchef there. I was like smoking weed. He would like heat up this spatula by the stove, remove it from the stove, and then we'll calm, just seal my arm with the hot spatula. Wow.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Small local restaurant that was a chef's every chef. So I did this program that was three weeks with an employer and one week at school.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That was not an option. But, you know, my parents never gave me any guidance. They were okay with anything I wanted to do. So early on, I decided, you know, I figured out that I was on my own and I had to make my own choice, my own research. And I decided to, you know, to find a humble job. And I started in the kitchen.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I grew up in one of the poorest town in France. I grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in that town. And I remember growing up, I remember like food was something interesting to me because I don't think my family was the best at managing money. Very often, like, you know, the second or third week of the month, we had nothing left. And so I was not starving, but it was not easy to come by and I was not eating like the best food either. And my mom was actually a terrible cook. It was so bad. And I think that's probably what inspired me to get to the kitchen. So, you know, when I was 15 years old, I was told that, you know, I need to get a job. Couldn't keep going to university or anything like this, it was not accessible to me.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, maybe, and we had no rules. In the beginning, people buying a dozen, buying two dozen, and then we're like left with nothing. But it was just insane because we couldn't make enough.”
2024-06-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Cronut and Dominique Ansel Bakery: Dominique Ansel · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT