EG x c'est beau chez toi | Le Fournil de Talou – Tagged ""

Meet Philippine. You might know her as founder of C'est Beau Chez Toi, a home styling studio based in San Francisco. Or you may know her as a creative director working with some brands you know and love.

We know her as our cool friend with great taste. We've worked with Philippine for years developing our sourcing trips in the French countryside and she always brings us something new. This summer, she is spending time in France with friends and family as she does each year.

Lucky for us, she's sharing some of her favorite places and experiences from her summer travels.

| Photography by Philippine Scali |

Le Fournil de Talou: The Bread That Brings Me Back

Every Saturday at Rodez market, I head straight to one particular stand. The pain de Talou - a rustic country loaf that's become essential to our summers in Aveyron.

As a family, we've always been particular about bread. As a child, the baker was in our village of Montrozier - we could go to his house to pick up our bread. Those country loaves were made with local cereals and baked in wood-fired ovens, bread that carried the taste of this region. Back in Paris, my uncle sought to recreate these flavors at his bakery the Moulin de la Vierge, daring to replace the daily Parisian baguette and bringing a piece of our Aveyron roots to the city.

Today, that tradition continues with Grégoire and Edouard Barrès at Le Fournil de Talou, and this summer I finally made the trip to see their operation firsthand.

| Photography by Philippine Scali |

The Location

Talou sits just a few kilometers from the canyon of Bozouls, accessible by a country road that winds through classic Aveyron landscape. The Barrès workshop occupies their family property - a stone house with local ardoise roofing that overlooks the Aubrac mountains. Their mother, an internationally renowned painter, Christine Barrès uses the upstairs as her studio while the brothers work below. It's the kind of setup that makes sense in the French countryside, where family properties adapt to serve multiple purposes.

| Photography by Philippine Scali |

The Brothers' Story

Grégoire and Edouard represent a trend in rural France - educated young people choosing traditional crafts over conventional careers. Grégoire studied applied arts and lived and worked in New Zealand and London, perfecting his style before returning to his roots. His younger brother Edouard was training to become a surveyor when he decided to stay and help with the bakery.

Now they work together producing bread twice weekly for Wednesday and Saturday markets in Rodez, plus distribution to local shops in Sébazac, Bozouls, Estaing and Espalion.

| Photography by Philippine Scali |

The Method

Their approach prioritizes authenticity. They source organic ingredients, use flours exclusively from Aveyron and Lozère mills, and depend on very long natural fermentation. This process takes patience but produces bread with complex flavors and natural preservation qualities - important when you're only baking twice a week.

Their range includes country bread, organic whole wheat, cereal varieties, and small spelt options, plus gluten-free alternatives. They also produce panettone, the Italian brioche filled with raisins and candied fruits that's found an audience at local markets.

| Photography by Philippine Scali |

The Workshop Visit

Watching them work reveals the physical nature of artisanal bread-making. Everything here serves the craft - from the positioning of equipment to maximize efficiency, to the timing that governs their entire week. The setting explains the bread's character. Talou sits in agricultural country where the connection between soil, grain, and final product remains visible.

The brothers maintain realistic ambitions. Their plan involves continuing production at Talou while adding a retail point in Rodez. "Continue to produce in Talou while having a sales point on the Ruthénois rock where we were born is indeed a project close to our hearts," Grégoire explains.

| Photography by Philippine Scali |

Saturday Market Ritual

At Rodez market, the Fournil de Talou stand attracts a steady stream of regulars. Their booth is empty by 10am - locals know to arrive early for the best selection.

For our family, their bread connects past and present. The flavors that defined childhood summers in Aveyron continue through the work of people who chose to remain in rural France and perfect traditional methods. Each market visit reinforces why we return here summer after summer.

| Photography by Philippine Scali |

What This Represents

The Barrès brothers are an inspiration - going back to essentials and showing how French rural traditions can thrive through living practice. Their choice to remain in rural France and perfect artisanal skills shows one way young people can build meaningful careers outside major cities.