Pastry chefs are the stars of Parisian palaces!

Historically, palaces and luxury hotels were often too intimidating for Parisians to enter. But in recent years, sugar has become an affordable access point to these prestigious venues for a bevy of sweet tooths who discover the country's most exciting pastry creation. From the Meurice, to the Ritz, to the Crillon, these hotels have even bet more and more on their pastry chefs and pastry cooks to get the word out, creating boutiques dedicated to their creations, with Parisians and tourists alike swelling the queues. Here are just a few of the chefs to follow in the mad whirl of the capital's sweet gastronomy.

Anne Coruble, Le Peninsula, Paris

Multi-awarded, the young chef at the grand hotel on Avenue Kléber already has a strong identity. Her signature combination of acidity and vegetal ingredients gives her desserts a light, elegant, cooked touch. " I'm looking for the perfect harmony between the gourmandise of a raw cream and the necessary lightness of an end-of-meal dessert ". Her profession demands extreme versatility. Anne Coruble also pays close attention to ecology, with a rigorous selection of local suppliers whenever possible.

At tea time, it's hard to resist her Paris-Brest, in an addictive version with roasted cereals, or her divinely creamy flan. On the restaurant side, his Tahitian vanilla and tobacco leaf dessert is simply prodigious.

• 19, avenue Kléber, Paris 16ᵉ.
• www.peninsula.com

Elisabeth Hot, Le Plaza Athénée, Paris

Enthusiastic and determined, Elisabeth Hot, pastry chef at Le Plaza Athénée since August 2021, infuses sunny notes into the desserts she imagines alongside Angelo Musa. Precise, elegant patisserie, with that little extra twist of Haute-Couture pastries. " We offer refined, gourmet patisserie, classic in its title, but always seeking to surprise. This requires energy, curiosity and great adaptability in order to respond to all requests while respecting the spirit of the place. "

Enjoy a blackcurrant Mont-Blanc with burnt chestnut-infused chantilly at tea time in the Galerie. And it's impossible to miss the Relais Plaza's regressive desserts, such as the gargantuan floating island to share.

• 25, avenue Montaigne, Paris 8ᵉ.
• www.dorchestercollection.com

Maxence Barbot, Le Shangri-la, Paris

Having passed through the George V and Plaza Athénée, Maxence Barbot is a pure product of palace pastry-making. " I like the idea that a palace brings together all worlds: pastries on the cart, smaller pieces for tea-time, plated desserts for the restaurant, but also extravagant pieces like wedding cakes. "Since his arrival at the Shangri-La, it's his galettes des rois that always create a stir, and more generally, all his work with puff pastry.

It would be a shame to miss his flan, the most beautiful in Paris, or his millefeuille with its delicate puff pastry. On the restaurant side, his profiteroles are well on the way to becoming the most sought-after in Paris, recognizable by their chocolate decoration that melts in the hot sauce when served.

• 10, avenue d'Iéna, Paris 16ᵉ.
• www.shangri-la.com

Maxime Frédéric, Le Cheval Blanc Paris

Even as a child, he dreamed of being in charge of creation in a Palace. " It's a world I've always dreamed of, bringing out extraordinary products and working in tandem with the head chef. It's also a strong human relationship with my team. "In each creation, he infuses everything he has learned from pastry-making, baking and chocolate-making.

Maxime Frédéric may be everywhere today - not least thanks to his openings with Louis Vuitton in Paris, Saint-Tropez and Shanghai - but the Cheval Blanc still offers some of his marvels, from the haute couture of the three-star Plénitude restaurant to the gourmet delights of the Cheval Blanc.toiles Plénitude to the afternoon treats served at Tout Paris - before the long-awaited return of a real tea time offering. Top of the list is probably the world's best vanilla millefeuille or a Paris-brest anthology.

• 8, quai du Louvre, Paris 1ᵉʳ.
• www.chevalblanc.com

Naraé Kim, Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme

Our Pâtissière de l'Année 2024 continues to intrigue the Parisian sweet galaxy, having arrived at the discreet hotel on the outskirts of Place Vendôme in 2021. His patisserie, uncluttered and natural, is the opposite of show patisserie or "food porn", but he also knows how to revive French classics with joy. A case in point is her magic apple "douillon", a kind of rustic apple tart with an infinitely melt-in-the-mouth texture, made by cooking whole apples in butter over several days.

Finally, at the beginning of October 2024, the young woman launched her tea time offer, "a snack based mainly around cookies, which take me back to my childhood", confides the Korean chef. Naraé Kim lets her origins shine through here more than ever, as with this crispy cigar made from dehydrated sweet potato or the "gangjeong", a traditional puffed rice cookie.

• 5, rue de la Paix, Paris 2ᵉ.
• www.hyatt.com

Léandre Vivier, the Burgundy Paris

True sweet tooths may already have spotted the name Léandre Vivier before this first chef position, him winning France TV's "Qui sera le prochain grand pâtissier?" in 2017. Since 2023, this travel and film enthusiast - he makes his own short films - has been at the helm of the sweet offerings at the discreet and charming Burgundy hotel near Place de la Madeleine.

In addition to his desserts at Le Baudelaire, Léandre has set up a splendid tea time offering, where he aims to "share my travel memories, a spice, a scent, a product, an encounter."Like his dulce de leche brioche, his chocolate chai cake or his lemon shiso tart, one of the best I've ever tasted.

• 6 - 8 rue Duphot, Paris ^1ᵉʳ
• www.leburgundy.com

Jessica Préalpato, San Régis Paris

Until now totally unknown to the sweet world, the San Régis hotel, off the Avenue Montaigne, has struck out Jessica Préalpato, former pastry chef at the Plaza Athénée and our 2023 Pastry Chef of the Year. The aim was to reconcile the cutting-edge world of her "Desseralité" with a more traditional snack offering.

Mission more than accomplished for this snack that knows how to be demanding - highlighting producers, alternative flours and sugars, seasonality to the point of auboutiste - while displaying a true gourmet taste. Don't miss the regressive closing chocolate cake, the cereal puffs or the rustic fruit tart of the moment.

• 12 rue Jean Goujon, Paris 8ᵉ
• www.san-regis-paris.hotelsone.com

François Perret, Ritz Paris Le Comptoir

In 2025, François Perret will celebrate ten years of a wild history with one of the world's most prestigious hotels, the Ritz, which was then reopening after a copious renovation. First there was the ambitious Goûter à la française cookie menu served in the Salon Proust, then the copious pastries enjoyed under the glass roof. Since 2021, there has been Ritz Paris le comptoir, a boutique and tea room accessible from rue Cambon. And since 2023, the return of gourmet desserts at the famous Espadon, which under Eugénie Béziat's leadership has regained its lustre (16/20 and 3 toques).

"Maximum volume, minimum weight" is the chef's astonishing motto, which runs through all Le Comptoir's cakes, gargantuan in size but always evanescent in texture. His mythical desserts are already legion, with trompe-l'œil madeleine or marble cake, marble cake (the real thing), long pain au chocolat and fruit tarts topping the list.

• 38 rue Cambon, Paris 1ᵉʳ
• www.ritzparislecomptoir.com

Yazid Ichemrahen, Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris

Working alongside Alexandre Favre, Yazid Ichemrahen reinvents the art of dessert at Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris. Gone are the overloaded compositions, replaced by simplicity and the essential. The pastry chef has set himself a challenge: no more than three ingredients and three textures per dessert. A minimalist approach that sublimates each flavor and invites contemplative tasting. The plate becomes a canvas where design and gourmandise come together, each element skilfully orchestrated. A unique visual and gustatory experience, signalling the arrival of a new talent on the Parisian pastry scene.

• 37 avenue Hoche, Paris 8ᵉ
  www.ritzparislecomptoir.com