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What's like your course at Hofmann's School?
I’ve enjoyed it a lot
firstly, a great atmosphere
secondly, the cooking is fabulous
And thirdly, when you travel and teach like this,
people is what really interests me,
you get to know both interesting and interested people
with whom you can share things
the school, Mey Hofmann’s hospitality
it’s all of this what makes you say
‘it’s been worth coming’
it’s a real pleasure
Winning the Pastry World Cup changed your life?
A turning point? Not at all
I trained conscientiously because I wanted to win the Cup
It had been my dream since I was a child
I remember the day I won
when I was given the trophy
at that very moment, I started wondering
‘what should I do from tomorrow on?’
‘This goal has been accomplished, so
what will my new goal be?’
I’m not a person living in the past
I try to evolve continuously
What's your indispensable ingredient?
Chocolate
to be quite honest
because I love it
in all its shapes
especially milk chocolate rather than dark chocolate
What's your professional philosophy about?
It’s simple, as I just said
I live in the present
my decision always was to create a trend rather than to follow one
In my opinion, tomorrow’s pastry
should resemble anything
except what is done today
So I’m thinking about it…
Tomorrow’s pastry
will be ‘street food’-type
fresh pastry,
non-frozen
with no chocolate garnishes
which are useless, they’re removed when slicing the cake
I feel like sticking to the essence
And I know that right now I can dare do it
How will the pastry of the future be?
I think the pastry of the future
will be a less fatty pastry
less sweet
and a bit more ‘appealing to the others’
that is, gluten free, lactose free
for diabetic or allergic people…
And I’m being very honest
tomorrow’s pastry will be made daily
with no freezing, because flavor loses its nature
and it becomes too gelled,
then additives are added, chocolate garnishes…
Tomorrow’s pastry will be displayed on the counter
made and then served
Does french pastry remain as the best of the world?
I don’t know, it may be because it’s typically French
there may not be a lot of pastries
which can boast about having
50 regional specialties
perhaps because it’s a long-standing thing here
Long ago
the French cuisine was at the very top
but we have been reached, overtaken by the Spanish
by the Italians
by fabulous chefs from Norway, Sweden…
The hallmark, I think there’s only one real pastry
the traditional and really authentic one
The origins remain in France
although there are amazing things somewhere else
Professional level in France keeps on the top
In fact, a lot of things are moving in Paris
Pastry had never been so
full steam ahead, so to speak
there has been an increasing participation of chefs in the media since 2000
that has reached pastry
and the proof is that, in France,
I’m going to take part in a daily TV program myself
from September on, about cooking,
pastry, both sweet and savory
Pastry nowadays
this is what you have to do to be up to date
What about your future?
My future? Many things
Opening my own school
in Paris this autumn
A great collaboration project with Alain Ducasse
about a sweet concept
and the daily program coming soon
on the French television