By Elizabeth Cloutman

Photo Courtesy of Le Boulanger

Perhaps not every Los Altos resident can correctly pronounce its name, but Le Boulanger (Luh Boo-LAWN-zhay - “the baker” in French) is a downtown establishment familiar to many. Le Boulanger, celebrating its 20th anniversary, now has 22 bakeries in the South Bay. The first one opened at Main and Second streets on Sept. 29, 1981.

“I was seeking a location (for a bakery), and after searching around the area, I thought why not do it in my hometown so I could keep an eye on it,” said Le Boulanger owner Roger Brunello. “(Los Altos) was a quiet, sleepy little town. I’ve seen a tremendous amount of change.”

Baking has long been a tradition in the Brunello family. Roger’s father, Paul, came to the United States from Treviso, Italy, in 1922 and opened a bakery in Weed, in 1926. In 1957 Paul moved to the Bay Area and opened El Real Bakery in Palo Alto. Six years later, Roger joined his father in business.

Since then, other family members have joined in the enterprise. Roger’s brother Dan is president of the Le Boulanger chain. His son Scott is executive vice president and chief financial officer, and his cousin Larry Ceccato is director of sales and maintenance. Ray Montalvo, daughter Kathryn’s husband, joined Le Boulanger in 1995 and is now director of marketing and retail operations. Paul’s widow, Ava, Roger and Dan are longtime Los Altos residents.

The bakery offers a variety of breads, muffins, cookies and pastries, as well as sandwiches, soups, salads, pizza, coffee and other beverages. It also provides deli trays and sandwich platters. To beat the lunch-time rush, customers can preorder their meals by telephone, fax or online at www.waiter.com.

La Boulanger is best known for its San Francisco sourdough bread, Montalvo said. “It’s not uncommon for customers, particularly in Los Altos, to buy a whole bag of our sourdough bread to take to their relatives back east. We’re grateful to the people of Los Altos who look to us.”

Sweet French, ciabatta, pane oliva, and wheat-wine-walnut - known to customers as “the purple bread” because of its wine-tinged hue - are other popular breads, Montalvo noted.

The holiday season is Le Boulanger’s busiest time of year, with Los Altos families ordering baked goods for family gatherings. “The days before Thanksgiving and Christmas, orders fill the store,” Montalvo said.

As nearby communities - Menlo Park, Willow Glen, Los Gatos and San Mateo - began redevelopment plans for their downtown areas, Le Boulanger established bakeries there. The downtown locations have all been very successful, Montalvo said.

Customers frequently suggest they’d like to see Le Boulanger stores established in other parts of the Bay Area, but thus far the chain’s management has chosen not to do so.

“We’ve given it careful consideration, (but) as a family business, we pay close attention to how we can manage our business and still achieve the service level we need to provide to all our customers,” Montalvo explained.

Le Boulanger likes to share its success by donating breads and pastries to the hungry and homeless in South Bay communities, Montalvo said. Recent beneficiaries include Sunnyvale and Cupertino community services, Bread of Life in East Palo Alto, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Homeless Care Force in Santa Clara, Catholic Charities and Sacred Heart Community Services.

In commemoration of its 20th anniversary, Le Boulanger officials planned to hand out free baguette loaves today at its Los Altos location until noon or “as long as the supply lasts,” Montalvo said.

Roger said he is “excited” that Le Boulanger is celebrating its 20th year as a family business. He added, “I hope the family is still doing it 20 years from now.”