Born and raised in Paris, Bertrand de Boutray received his BA in International Business in 1981 followed by 10 years as a life insurance company district sales manager. Read on to discover how Bertrand became the USA’s new Bailli Délégué.

In 1987 Bertrand married a beautiful woman from Seattle met whilst she was vacationing in France. Newly married, he joined Avon Products as a regional sales manager, first in France, then in Vancouver, Canada.

Bertrand and his wife, Brooke, are blessed with two daughters. In the summer of 1992, the family left Canada and settled in Seattle. After working as a localizer for Microsoft’s Office Division, Bertrand had a complete change of career. He embarked on one of the most gratifying and rewarding jobs that no university or training course can prepare a person to undertake: he took on the role of “Mister Mom”.

In 1995, Bertrand decided to achieve three personal dreams: to become an American citizen, start his own business, and do something he really loves. He knew that food was his passion but he knew the restaurant business wasn’t for him. Instead, he attended the prestigious cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu of Paris, and started Bertrand Chez Vous. His goal was to share what the French are good at when it comes to food.

For the French, food is always an excuse to stop the clock, gather some friends and enjoy the moment. Bertrand started to teach cooking classes that focused on traditional French classical cuisine. He came up with a concept called "Cooking Together Parties" where the guests are involved in both the preparation and cooking of the menu. Bertrand describes it as a social culinary experience. Finally, Bertrand wanted to take his approach a step further by organizing culinary trips to France where it is all about enjoying the unique French lifestyle.

Bertrand joined the Chaîne in 1999. Four years later he was nominated Bailli of Seattle after which he eventually progressed to be Bailli Provincial of Pacific Northwest. The pinnacle of his Chaîne career to date has come with the appointment on July 1st, 2020 as Bailli Délégué of the USA.

Congratulations, Bertrand!