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Normandy Village Saves Its Only Bakery, Reopening Thursday After Sanitary Closure

Community backing made the costly compliance repairs feasible.

Overview

  • Christophe Mottin will reopen Le Fournil de la Presqu'île on 11 December, five months after being ordered to shut.
  • The prefecture closed the shop in July after inspectors deemed the premises too dilapidated and non‑compliant.
  • Residents raised about €10,000, including roughly €3,000 in cash and checks and €7,000 via a Leetchi campaign, to finance upgrades.
  • On weekends a dozen to fifteen volunteers replaced the roof and chimney, repainted, and installed new fittings to bring the site up to standard, preserving the only bakery serving roughly 1,000–1,500 residents.
  • Suppliers cut costs, with Lintz providing a €60,000 oven for about €31,000, and the baker estimates the collective effort saved him more than €30,000.