Executive Chef and General Manager, Jean-Jacques Grossi
Jean-Jacques Grossi is the legendary chef whose commitment to excellence, creativity and unrivaled deliciousness has made so many Gourmandise customers happy. Learn more...

Giving Back
We're grateful for the continued support of our loyal customers and wholeheartedly feel success in the marketplace brings a tremendous responsibility to help take care of those who are less fortunate. So, many thanks for joining us in giving back and we hope you enjoy knowing that with every dessert, sandwich and cookie you buy, you are helping those in need. It is a thrill it is for us to have the opportunity to share what we have—both locally and internationally.

• Locally: Utah Dream Center (www.utahdreamcenter.org). Every Thursday, Gourmandise provides hot meals for over 50 refugee children at the Utah Dream Center. Learn more...
  Established in January 2002, the Dream Center is a non-profit organization with a single focus: to help at-risk and high-risk community members fulfill their dreams. Strategically located on the West side of Salt Lake City, an area where currently over 90 languages are spoken, The Center is surrounded by a community of poverty, addictions, and gangs. The Dream Center is here to meet the needs of those who need help, whether it is in the form of food, clothing, educational, emotional, or medical assistance.
• Internationally: Bridges of Hope (www.bridgesworldwide.org). With a love for his native homeland, Africa, and a heart for helping those in need there, owners Vernon and Hally support Bridges of Hope, South Africa with a portion of their proceeds from Gourmandise. Bridges of Hope was created in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic there. Learn more...
  Partnering with other organizations and with the remarkable survivors of decades of cultural hardship, crushing poverty, and the worst health pandemic in history, Bridges has discovered a model of community transformation that works. This growing organization's programs for children & teens, community health training, micro-loans, and an Orphan Academy are all having a tremendous positive impact on the communities that Bridges serves.

History
The Building that now houses Gourmandise must have interesting tales to tell—it was a local pizzeria and beer joint called Ratzkeller Pizzeria...an ice cream parlor and café...an Apollo Burger and is now la maison de Gourmandise. Though we wish our home had more parking, we love the downtown locale and rich heritage.

Our Staff
There are lots of things that make Gourmandise such a unique and special place... not the least of which is the fact that, behind the scenes, we are one big diverse family (both literally and figuratively). Our staff is a wonderful blend of more than six nationalities, five husband & wife couples, three sets of siblings and most importantly...a whole bunch of friends.

Owners
The Hanssen family has been in the baking business for twenty-five years. After immigrating to the United States from South Africa, Pete & Wanda Hanssen opened what quickly became Peoria, Illinois' most popular bakery. Their youngest son, Vernon, headed West after college in pursuit of the mountains and after years of dining at The Bakery enjoying the fine pastries and desserts created by Jean-Jacques Grossi there, the Hanssen family built a professional relationship with him. So in 2006, when the opportunity to buy the business with Jean Jacques as the Executive Manager arose, Vernon, his wife and parents partnered up and the rest is history.