know, I've been baking since then. It'sbeen like 30 years.AM: I mean that's so fantastic. And to learnthat your initial culinary training was in afree program like that's that's amazing.So how did you make that jump to being atDaniel which is amazing.CHEF DA: So while I was in France, aftermy apprenticeship and completing mymilitary service, I bought a small car andI drove to Paris because my boss at thetime, talked about Paris every day. I waslike, I need to go there. I'm gonna go tothe capital. I need to work with the bestand I eventually found a job there whichled me to another job, and I eventually gotthe job at Fauchon (Editor’s Note: Fauchonis a legendary French Pastry shop), whichwas the leader in terms of products importedfrom all over the world, from spices,oils, like anything you name it – fruitsand vegetables, like anything that they allcame in that was exotic from all over theworld. The pastry department was huge.It was a time where it was growing veryfast and I was a hired as one of the pastrycooks there.I worked there for 8 years. I was supposedto stay for 4 months. I stayed there for 8years.AM: Wow.CHEF DA: In 2006, Daniel Boulud waslooking for a pastry chef, so he calledme, I was in Paris at the time and I was incharge of the International Developmentof the brand. So I was traveling a lot andhe asked me if I wanted to come to NewYork to, you know, for the Pastry Chef job.I really didn't want to go back to a restaurantbut it took me half a second to sayokay, let's try.I came to Daniel here in New York in 2006with two suitcases. I folded everythingback in France. I left everything. And Icame with 2 suitcases, slept on a couchfor like, 3 months – I didn’t have time tobuy a bed!AM: Right.CHEF DA: I worked at Daniel for 6 yearsas the Executive Pastry Chef thereand it was amazing years. Of course,in 2011, I decided to jump on my ownand to take the next step and start mybusiness.AM: Why did you want to do that?CHEF DA: Why? I always knew. I knewfrom when I was young that I want tobe an entrepreneur, I want to own myown business. I want to do my ownthing. I like the challenge of multitaskingand wearing different hats. I likethe challenge of making beautiful foodbut also like the business side. Havingthe interaction with the guests andknowing how to express yourself. It'sall these like, things combined together,makes it very exciting to me.AM: I mean, you have created someamazing pastry moments. I mean, theCronut, which, I remember going inmany times trying to get one and it wasgone. I was just like argh foiled again!CHEF DA: Haha I’m sorry!AM: Then your Cookie Shot comes outand it’s another craze around that.What does it mean to you that you'vecreated like these little niches thatare always going to be etched like youknow, in the culinary world.CHED DA: You know, it's overwhelminglyhumbling. When I look backsometimes I'm like, I don't realize howmuch of an impact I left within thepastry world. I'm still walking aroundand I don't take it for granted. One ofthe best moments for me was When Iwas in Japan, we had a shop there. Wewere selling the Frozen S’mores whichis our small version of the ice creamversion of a s’mores.
Follow Us
X
Instagram
Facebook