Alain Braux

Photo by John Anderson

Life has a way of taking us on a twisting, turning journey to places we never dreamed of when setting out. Certainly when Alain Braux trained as a chef de patisserie in his native France, eventually working under the legendary Gaston Lenotre, he could not have imagined the series of events that has led to his current position as executive chef and nutritherapist at Peoples Rx.

Braux came to Texas in the early 1980s, when, with Braux's assistance, the Lenotre family opened a location of its famous patisserie in Houston. Braux went on to open the Amandine Bakery here in Austin and in time held positions as executive pastry chef at the Barr Mansion and as the instructor of baking and pastry at the Culinary Academy of Austin. Along the way, Braux became interested in food as a component of healing and obtained degrees in both holistic nutrition and macrobiotic counseling. When the position at Peoples became available, Braux was uniquely qualified to fill it, with decades of experience in both exquisite cookery and nutrition counseling.

"I trained as a French chef," laughs Braux. "I admit it: I am a food geek! To interest me, food must taste good. I am lying: It has to taste great! So that is what I am doing: making the healthiest foods also the best tasting. If a person has a limited diet, a lot of food allergies, I make a menu for them that does not bore."

Peoples Rx has a long history of taking a more holistic approach to wellness than your average pharmacy, offering specially prepared food as well as medicines, supplements, and information. As executive chef at Peoples, Braux oversees the production of soups, some of the salads, and all of the desserts for the popular West Lake lunch counter and prepares low-sugar, gluten- and dairy-free baked goods for the West Lake and South Lamar locations. "As soon as we can rent a commercial kitchen," Braux explains, "I will be doing this for all the stores." Additionally, he is available for diet consultations for those suffering from food-related illnesses and conditions, such as celiac disease, attention deficit and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, and food allergies. He also lectures on nutrition and conducts seminars at the Culinary Academy of Austin. On Saturday, Jan. 31, Braux will be teaching a special Valentine's Day class, where students will learn "hands-on" to prepare gluten- and dairy-free chocolate mousse, raspberry souffle, and crème brûlée. (For info, call 451-5743 or e-mail [email protected].)