PASTRY CHEF FROM FATHER TO SON SINCE 1955
"While other children played with playdough, my son played with marzipan" DANIEL GAUDARD
Some passions are evident from birth. For Sébastien Gaudard, his love for sweets might thus come from the scent of galettes, which in January filled the air of the family bakery. Beyond the legend, there remains the figure of a father who was a pastry chef and a childhood where learning was a form of play.
Did Daniel Gaudard suspect that one day his son would follow in his footsteps? Himself the son of a teacher, this Lorraine pastry chef and chocolatier with an impeccable career has trained more than 80 apprentices in his establishment in Pont-à-Mousson, of whom Sébastien is today the most famous.
The first pastry shop of Sébastien Gaudard's parents
"RATHER THAN A PASTRY CHEF, I MAKE DELICACIES"
It is through this diversion that Sébastien Gaudard sometimes likes to evoke his profession. A shortcut that bypasses his additional activities as an ice cream maker, chocolatier, and confectioner, which he exercises with such flair, but also a clever way of asserting the playful and generous character attributed to his profession, envisioned from a young age as a delightful alchemy, whose technique he quickly enriched with Georges Vergne, in Belfort, then with Gérard Banwarth, in Mulhouse.
FROM THE HÔTEL MATIGNON TO THE "WORLD'S GROCERY STORE"
Promising beginnings which opened the doors of the Hôtel Matignon to him at 22, where during his military service, he softened the meals for ministers. From then on, he never left the capital.
In 1993, he applied to Fauchon. As an assistant, deputy, then second to Pierre Hermé for three years, he succeeded him at only 26 years old. For eight years, at Place de la Madeleine, the young pastry chef took advantage of the fabulous "world's grocery store" at his disposal to write some beautiful pages for this grand house. The Darjeeling tart is one of his classic creations, alongside which he was among the first to bring traditional specialties such as éclairs (chestnut, tea...etc), religieuses, and Saint-Honoré back into fashion.
"I look for flavors that love each other," he asserts. A proponent of distinct flavors and textures, he plays with contrasts without opposing them in search of the perfect balance between taste, shape, appearance, and the names of his creations.
A blend of flavors in five chocolate modules from grand crus, paired with Java pepper, Darjeeling tea, Zimbabwe coffee, Provence honey, and Alsace cherry, his Auguste created in homage to the founder of Fauchon synthesizes this approach. "Because there's nothing better than starting a pastry from the corners," he designs this cake as a construction game with triangular pieces that are deliciously rounded at their heart...
"TASTE AGITATOR" AT DÉLICABAR
Starting in May 2003, Sébastien Gaudard embarked on a new adventure, creating Délicabar at Le Bon Marché in Paris with designer Claudio Collucci, where he quickly earned the nickname of "little prince" of pastry.
"I was seduced by the idea of investing in a unique store, alive at all hours of the day, to meet the desires of Parisians and informed shoppers. Everyone can experience Délicabar at any moment" he enthuses, as he invents the concept of chic snacking here. An invitation to break free from the codes and to shake up the pastry know-how that leads him to orchestrate a novel dialogue between sweet and savory. The same crispy puff pastry serves both a caramelized apple mille-feuille and a "Finefeuille" with confit vegetables and eggplant caviar; the sabayon is offered with zucchini and citrus tinged with spices; chocolate, available in bars, drinks, candies, also accompanies foie gras; and the "bubbles," a frothy cream nestled under a shell shaped like a drop of happiness, is as irresistible with carrot as it is with mango... As many gourmet experiences that are reflected in the work "Agitateur de goût" published shortly before Sébastien Gaudard decides to turn the page on Délicabar, which closes its doors in 2009.
"THE BEST OF DESSERTS"
While waiting to find a place in Paris to open a pastry shop in his name, Sébastien Gaudard participates in numerous events in France and signs the dessert menu of prestigious establishments.
In parallel activities, he engages in a stimulating dialogue with Françoise Bernard, the doyenne of family cooking, which leads to the publication of "The Best of Desserts" by Hachette Pratique. A collection that brings together 80 simple traditional recipes, each interpreted through the lens of tradition and ease of preparation. This discussion between two culinary generations highlights Sébastien Gaudard's awareness of the fragility of the gourmet heritage, confirming his desire to ensure its tradition and transmission.
