Stakeholder Spotlight: Russ Tourville

"I was a horrible student."

In the course of a one-hour conversation, Russ Tourville, Kowalski's Bakery Director, repeats this no less than four times.

"Literally, I hated everything about school," he says. "Except art," he proudly qualifies. "In art, I got all A's!"

Teenage Russ might not have loved the classroom, but he loved being outside, whether it was exploring, building something or playing sports. His grocery career started as many do – he bagged groceries – but the Bakery Department became home.

"I've done every bakery job you can imagine," he says. "Apprentice, journeyman, assistant, manager. I like a challenge, and I believe if you're going to do anything, you should do it well."

"By the way," he interjects, "my donuts were incredible."

Yet for Russ, something wasn't quite right. "In the 14 years I worked at my prior employer, I never once met the owner," Russ says. "But in 2001, I was interviewed by Jim Kowalski himself. He asked me, 'If I throw you the keys to this place, what are you going to do with them?' I was so scared, I'm not sure what I said, but it was something along the lines of 'I'm going to make Kowalski's the best bakery in town.'"

As for how he made his promise to Jim come true, Russ pauses to reflect. "No one else does bakery like we do it," he says. Elaborating, he adds, "I hate to call our stuff simple – we mostly make stuff you would bake at home – but therein lies the difference. We make it. From scratch. I guess that's where I draw the line: we don't buy things, we bake them. And that's where a lot of grocers go wrong."

Of course, Russ does buy some unique items from specialty bakers, including one of his personal favorite desserts, tiramisu from Desserts by Alighieri. Such inimitable items – like delicate French macarons from Nikkolette's Macarons, humidity-sensitive meringues from Bistro Meringues, gluten-free baked goods from Brody's 579 and chocolate-covered treats from Hudson-based Knoke's Chocolates – are chosen very selectively, and always from local partners, if possible.

Russ' appreciation for local, scratch-made, top-quality food has grown significantly in his time at Kowalski's. "Until I became a Director, I'd never even tried wine. I'd never traveled or even left the stores before then. All of a sudden, I was traveling and networking, going out to eat. The exposure to new foods was staggering. I didn't use to consider myself a foodie, but it's funny how Kowalski's brings that out of you."

For the last seven years, Russ has been splitting time between his work in the bakery and leading the company's Private Label team. "At the time I joined, Private Label was small but growing, and I saw it as a chance to grow myself." The line may grow more slowly than other markets' lines, but the Kowalski's team works differently than competitors, says Russ. "We have strict criteria and we look for the best stuff we can find. It makes for a diverse product portfolio but one that the entire team genuinely loves and buys for themselves. I am proud of that."