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Meet Emmanuel Burtz of Madeleine Cafe & Bakery

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmanuel Burtz.

Emmanuel, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started out at 16 working in the cafe’s in Paris. Definitely started out and the bottom learning the ropes and then started to work my way up. At 20 I landed a position as a restaurant manager in Sweden which really opened up my eyes to the restaurant business. At 24 I moved to Australia working in various bars and eateries before settling in Hong Kong where I started my first entrepreneur endeavor and opened up a French cafe/brasserie. After a few years, I then opened up my second French bar/restaurant establishment in Hong Kong.

My wife is originally from San Diego and we knew we would eventually move back to this amazing city. When I first arrived in the USA we lived in Los Angeles for a few years where I became the GM of a few high-end restaurants. This helped me to really get my feet wet in America and see how the market works here. While living in LA I was dreaming of opening up my own cafe and bringing a taste of my own French backyard to the States. When my family and I finally moved to our long awaited destination of San Diego I was determined to hustle and make my dream of opening up my French cafe a reality.

After an exhaustive search for the perfect location, we were so fortunate to open up our dream cafe in Solana Beach. We feel so lucky to be here on this amazing street of South Cedros. the people are so friendly, the weather is amazing and I couldn’t imagine a better beginning to our San Diego story.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I believe the best roads are paved with peaks and valleys. How can you know what you really want and how bad you want it if you aren’t handed rejection here and there? The highs have been high and the lows have been low, but I’ve never let the lows get in my way of doing what I’ve always dreamed of doing. I’m so happy that the worldly path that I’ve been on for the past 20 years has led me to exactly where I’ve dreamed to be in Solana Beach, California.

Madeleine Cafe & Bakery – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our business is an authentic French Cafe & Bakery. We bake our French pastries such as baguettes, croissants, chocolate croissants, brioche, madeleines and more every morning. So when you walk into our cafe first thing in the morning we want to transport you into a Boulangerie in Paris with the smell of freshly baked pastries and bread. We specialize in the food your mother would make…. if she was French.

Croque Madame’s, Eggs Benedict with French cooked ham, tartness, fresh salads, crepes, coffee, tea and even wine and champagne. The French love to have a glass of wine with lunch. We are most proud of our authenticity. We strive to bring the highest quality products straight from France to give our patrons a true French experience. I believe our authenticity and our willingness to give our customers an enjoyable and relaxed experience will set us apart.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success by the happiness of our customers. I want people to be happy throughout their whole experience at our cafe. From the smile when you walk in, to an easy ordering process and a relaxing patio on which to enjoy your food and coffee. I want our food to meet and exceed our customer’s expectations. When people travel to France they remember the amazing food they experienced… this is exactly what we want for our customers at Madeleine Cafe.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Michael Burke

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