First and foremost, a craftsman who has understood French traditions is an artisan.
The pinnacle of food cultures, Paris. Patisseries have their own tradition. The craftsmanship of the patissiers we met in Paris could also be called their soul.
Jacques Genin's shop is a comfortable cafe where you can choose a range of chocolates and freshly made pastries. ‘I am always here, making and creating new patisseries. I am just an artisan, making a traditional patisserie,’ says Genin.
Japanese patissierSadaharu Aoki cutting a matcha (green tea) roll cake with his favorite kitchen knife, 'Seki Magoroku' from KAI. 'The French treasure the history and roots of patisseries and nobody will accept you if you ignore it and create your own style,’ says Aoki. ’I studied such traditions thoroughly, and then 15 years ago when I opened the shop I presented sweets such as ‘matcha’ and ‘yuzu’ calling them by that name without translating them into French. Japanese-style play comes to life because it comes from the study of tradition. It is the difference between deviating from traditions and expressing your individuality.
Playing upon tradition, and not being afraid to make it evolve.
Cyril Lignac is known as a star chef. But he is always working on new developments. Recently he opened a chocolaterie near his own patisserie. This chocolaterie is basically for takeout but you can also sit and eat chocolate, eat breakfast, or relax and do work on laptop computer. It doesn’t matter how you spend the time. It’s a chocolaterie that’s free and casual. ‘Basically I am doing things traditionally, but I'd like to try modern concepts as well,’ says Lignac.
At Mamie Gateaux you can enjoy homemade sweets like grandma makes. ‘Although it is traditional, much of our menu is original. I innovated based on the sweets that I learned from my mother-in-law or the ones I was offered from my friends, with my own wisdom and experience. I want to make something that you want to eat right away while it's still warm,' says Mariko Dupressis, the owner.
Their style emerges from the way they innovate based on tradition.
