2023-12-01 16:56:00
Benoit Lecerf, 62, put his baker’s apron back on barely two years ago, following 45 years of investment in this family business, which was a real institution in Hamoir. At the time, he left his ovens peacefully since the bakery was taken over. But since then, buyers have followed one another at the same time as the closures. First there was the “Do Ré Mie” bakery which operated for six months, then “Au P’tit boutique” which operated for a year and finally, the Lemineur bakery (which also had a business in Flémalle). But the bosses threw in the towel at the beginning of November, following seven months of activity. Sad news as this is the last bakery in the village. Benoît Lecerf still owns the building and the bakery. When he heard the news, he didn’t think long: he started the adventure once more. “At the time, I decided to close because I had undergone a major operation which required many months of rehabilitation. But I have not lost the passion for my job. Seeing that the bakery was going to be empty once more, I told myself that I had to come back, to save the business. We must maintain a bakery in Hamoir. We have exhausted all solutions. So it’s me who will come back. I’m going to put it back on its feet, find a clientele with the aim of attracting a buyer. It’s always easier to sell something that’s already working well…”. So here is the retiree back behind his ovens and his counter. “And I’m rehiring my former saleswoman, Véronique…” The opening is imminent: Saturday December 9. “The bakery is operational. Everything is ready.” However, its hours will be reduced. It will only open three days a week: Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday (Wednesday and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.). “These are the same hours as at the end of my career. And the name will remain the same: simply Lecerf bakery.”
What will we find in its counters? Benoît Lecerf will buy the bakery part from a colleague while the pastries will be homemade. “I have refurbished a small workshop next door. I am going to make all my specialties there once more, including rice pie, Christmas logs of course and some new products.”
Given the enthusiasm of the Hamoir residents and the positive feedback, the baker is confident and is restarting, fully pumped up. “I hope to hold on physically, he smiled. I don’t set a deadline for stopping, but I don’t plan to stay there for many more years. I’m a transition.”
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