Savico & Karen Basset-Rouge, the owners of Le Bon Choix, trained under the legendary Laurent Boillon, one of the best pastry chefs in Australia and the world.  After more than 10 years, it was time to spread their wings.  

The original vision was to open a bakery in New York.  But with the impending birth of their first son, Noah, and Karen’s family residing in Queensland; it felt right to stay put in Australia.  The couple relocated from Melbourne to Brisbane and in 2004, opened their first boulangerie patisserie in Albany Creek, on the northside of Brisbane.

It was one of the first of its kind in Brisbane.  And whilst it didn’t present with the same chic and polished veneer that Le Bon Choix is renowned for today, customers quickly fell in love with the food, becoming devotees to the French favourite.

Albany Creek was proof of concept and the couple soon set their sights on bigger and better, opening their second bakery on Queen Street in Brisbane’s CBD.  The location was favoured for its large, iconic, fig tree which reminded Savico of Paris.  This was the store that put Le Bon Choix on the map and made it an institution amongst corporate elite. The success of the store then paved the way for more expansion and a further 8 stores were opened across Southeast Queensland.

Savico attributes much of Le Bon Choix's success to an incredible amount of hard work and a responsibility to carry on the legacy of their predecessors.  

“The baton must be passed from generation to generation, and we take this responsibility seriously.  The authenticity of the product – flavours, ingredients, preparation, and processes must be upheld.  We never take short cuts… This is how we've maintained the quality of our food since the day one.”

“We're also in love with how food transcends borders and brings people together.  It’s wonderful seeing people at the cafes from many different cultures smiling and happily enjoying the food and each other’s company.  A smile is a language that everyone understands and we're in the business of creating more of them.  It’s a beautiful reward for working so hard and fulfils the most basic of needs that we all have – to create, to contribute, to share and to love.”