Céline Labaune
Gourmet Attitude, importer of truffles, opened its doors in Manhattan in April 2003.
Truffles didn't come to me by chance!
But what came to me before anything else was my love for genuine things. My fondest childhood memories are of cooking with ma famille and of sharing stories and laughs around the table.
Truffles have always been part of my world. My grandparents had a beautiful home in the heart of the Périgord Noir, surrounded by the very trees where truffles grew. As a child, I spent hours exploring the countryside with my dog, and we shared an incredible excitement each time we unearthed a truffle together.
At 24, my adventurous spirit brought me to New York to pursue a business degree. I soon found myself immersed in the American gastronomic scene and fell in love with its energy, people, and creativity. It also sparked a desire to share what had been passed down to me: a love for the land, its traditions, and the exceptional products of my French heritage.
Et voilà, Gourmet Attitude was born in April 2003. Starting alone from a tiny space in SoHo shared with an architect and a movie producer. I wore every hat imaginable!
In the early years, I traveled throughout France and Italy, visiting truffle orchards, meeting truffle hunters, exploring markets, and attending truffle fairs and events. Along the way, I built trusted relationships with growers, hunters, and suppliers, forming the sourcing network that became the foundation of Gourmet Attitude.
I started the business by sharing our truffles directly with chefs. Although we began in New York, I always wanted to reach beyond one market. I quickly connected with chefs across the country who shared our appreciation for exceptional ingredients, thoughtful sourcing, and the people and stories behind them.
Over time, these relationships grew organically, largely through word of mouth. We found chefs who valued not only the quality of our truffles, but also the craft, tradition, and passion behind them.
In 2008, we took an exciting step forward by beginning to source truffles from the Southern Hemisphere. It opened the door to something we had always hoped to offer: fresh truffles almost year-round. Building these new relationships with growers and suppliers took time, but many have remained strong to this day. These partnerships have become an important part of our story, allowing us to continue bringing fresh truffles to our chefs, season after season.
In 2011, as the company continued to grow, we moved from the Upper West Side into a new office and warehouse in Hudson Yards.
As Gourmet Attitude has grown, we've felt incredibly grateful for the community that has supported us along the way. Giving back has become a meaningful part of our journey, from partnering with organizations like City Harvest, Ment'or, Citymeals on Wheels, and Autism Speaks to bringing people together through food and hospitality.
We also love bringing people together through intimate white and black truffle dinners and masterclasses, sharing our knowledge, traditions, and love of exceptional truffles with chefs and home cooks alike.
When the covid 19 pandemic hit in 2020, everything changed overnight. My biggest priority was keeping Gourmet Attitude going and, above all, keeping my team working. With the help of one of our chef partners, we found a new way forward by creating our own line of truffle products: Black Truffle Butter, White Truffle Butter, Truffle Mornay, and Truffle Honey. We began bringing them to home cooks through our website.
It was a challenging time, but it pushed us to adapt and reach people in a new way, while staying true to the quality and care we've always believed in.
By 2022, Gourmet Attitude had grown far beyond what I had imagined when I first started the business. We moved into our current, larger location in Hudson Yards, giving us room to grow while staying true to the care and attention at the heart of what we do.
More than sharing a beautiful product, I want to share a piece of our culture, traditions, and gastronomic heritage. What continues to motivate me is bringing my chefs the very best products from one season to the next, and sharing the passion for truffles, stories, and people that first inspired me as a child.
In many ways, that is what Gourmet Attitude has always been about: sharing something I love and bringing people together around it.
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