When la Madeleine founder Patrick Leon Esquerré first decided to bring his French bakery concept to life, he drew heavily on his idyllic upbringing in the Loire Valley region of post-World War II France for inspiration. He desired to recreate his vivid childhood memories of mealtime, with family gathered around the dining table, sharing homegrown, hand-prepared food and heartfelt conversation. As far as he could tell back in 1982, no other place had ever come close to this.

With little else besides his boundless enthusiasm and charming broken English, the self-described “French country boy” boldly took his vision to the big city of Dallas. There he was introduced to the legendary retail magnate, Stanley Marcus of Neiman Marcus fame, and given the solid advice and strong support he would need to begin getting his vision off the ground.

Having never been a baker, a banker or a restaurateur, Patrick was unsure of la Madeleine’s chances for success. It was from this position of vulnerability and humility that he learned a very important secret of life – to listen – to family, to advisors, to guests, to staff. He listened to them all on matters of location, architecture, ambiance and cuisine. The results were all that he’d hoped for.

Patrick opened his first bakery (boulangerie) on Mockingbird Lane in Dallas, Texas, which soon expanded to a café and neighborhood gathering place offering classic French country fare.

While Patrick has since moved on to other ventures, his vision for la Madeleine continues today with 62 locations across the U.S. and growing.