Kohler Co. Appoints Alexandre Dufaur as Head Baker of Destination Kohler

Kohler, Wis. — April 27, 2022 – Kohler Co. is pleased to announce the appointment of Chef Alexandre Dufaur as head baker of Destination Kohler, the Midwest’s only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond resort-hotel. Dufaur will apply his deep experience, European influence and passion for technique to enhance the baking programs and expand the offerings at Destination Kohler’s dining outlets and Woodlake Market.

“We are excited to welcome Chef Alex to help elevate our bread and pastry programs for guests,” says Michael Pacovsky, director of food and beverage for Kohler Co. “His ‘back-to-basics’ approach mirrors European artisanal trends, currently being led by a generation of innovative chefs who feature naturally leavened doughs and avoid high-gluten flours and industrial yeasts.”

Under the guidance of Executive Pastry Chef and 2022 James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Pastry Chef semifinalist, Nicolas Blouin, Chef Alex will grow the resort’s expansive selection of artisinal baked goods. He will introduce technique-driven offerings such as viennoiseries – made from more yeast-leavened doughs, as well as naturally fermented breads, ancient grains, sourdoughs, and organic ingredients.

Additionally, his new pastry creations will feature lamination– an intricate process of continuously folding and rolling butter into dough to create ultra-thin layers. These layers, alternating between butter and dough, are what give pastries, like croissants and rustic breads, their signature honeycomb interior structure and texture.

“I am honored to join the esteemed and talented culinary team in Kohler and bring new offerings to the resort’s dining destinations and menus,” said Chef Alex.  “I look forward to delighting guests with the incredible flavors and textures of quality breads and baked goods created through natural processes and ingredients.”

Chef Alex finds inspiration from legends such as World Champion of Chocolate Bread, Sebastien Lagrue, and world-renowned baker and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, Thomas Marie. In early 2022, Chef Alex had the opportunity to learn directly from Marie during a 3-Day Master Class in Rouen at INBP, the famous French National Baking and Pastry Institute. Chef Alex will incorporate these learnings and all of his exteemed expertise into his creations at the resort.

Chef Alexandre Dufaur

Hard work and discipline have always been driving forces in Alexandre Dufaur’s life. Born and raised in France, Chef Alex brings over eight years of bread making experience to Destination Kohler as Head Baker of the Midwest’s premier luxury resort.

At the tender age of 11, he joined the Paris Opera Ballet and at 18, he was one of the few to make it professionally into the esteemed company. His talent and discipline took him all over the world, and in 2002, he joined the Miami City Ballet where he quickly rose through the ranks as a soloist. With over 15 years of an international ballet career behind him and an unfulfilled passion for food and baking, Dufaur took the plunge and pursued a career in hospitality in 2010. Soon after graduation, he was offered an assistant sommelier position at the landmark luxury hotel, The Breakers Palm Beach, under renowned Master Sommeliers Virginia Philip and Juan Gomez. Having learned the “back-of-the-house” ropes from some of the best in the business, Dufaur returned home to France, where he continued his hospitality journey. Eager to learn more about the restaurant industry, he pursued a position as Maître d’ Hotel at “Les Pres d’Eugenie,” a three-Michelin star restaurant operated by Michel Guérard, founder of la nouvelle cuisine.

In 2010, Dufaur met his now-wife Elodie, a gifted pastry chef. They welcomed their first child in 2014. Sharing a passion for baking, Dufaur joined the family business by taking an apprenticeship at the bakery. The owner and Elodie’s father, Bernard, was a sixth-generation bread maker who was struggling to find a new generation of bakers to pass down his secrets and techniques. Dufaur enthusiastically took on the challenge, and the baking business would prove to be the most challenging and fulfilling endeavor of his life. At the bakery, Bernard performed every aspect of the bread production process, from slow-rising to hand-shaping of the breads. He taught Dufaur the importance of working with local farmers and millers and using stone-ground organic flour to produce naturally leavened quality dough. Bernard was an old-world artisanal bread maker, and he would instill the dedication to tradition and quality in Dufaur.

About Kohler Hospitality & Real Estate Group 

The Kohler Co. Hospitality & Real Estate profile includes The American Club, which is the only Forbes 5-Star resort hotel in the Midwest and the 3-Star Inn on Woodlake. It has world-renowned golf venues of Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run. A sister property, The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa resides in St. Andrews, Scotland, the birthplace of golf, and is recognized as one of the more luxurious resorts in the world. In 2017, Kohler Co. opened LODGE KOHLER, a AAA Four Diamond property, in the heart of Titletown, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

About Destination Kohler 

Herb Kohler created Kohler Co.’s Hospitality & Real Estate Group with the reclamation of The American Club from an immigrant dormitory and then built championship golf courses, The Straits and The Irish at Whistling Straits and The River and Meadow Valleys at Blackwolf Run, all designed by Pete Dye and all in the top 100 of public courses. Straits hosted the Ryder Cup in September 2021. Kohler Waters Spa is the only Forbes Five-Star spa in Wisconsin. The resort features 500 acres of river and forest, and 12 dining establishments from the Four-Star Immigrant Restaurant to traditional pub fare of The Horse & Plow as well as River Wildlife. Herb Kohler believes the log cabin of River Wildlife has the best country gourmet dining in the United States. The resort is located in the surrounds of the Village of Kohler, Wisconsin, one hour south of Green Bay, one hour north of Milwaukee and two and a half hours north of Chicago on I-43.

Stay up to date on resort happenings on Facebook, facebook.com/americanclub and on Twitter, www.twitter.com/theamericanclub. For more information, please call 800-344-2838 or visit DestinationKohler.com.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.