AM: I mean that's so fantastic. And to learn that your initial culinary training was in a free program like that's that's amazing.
So how did you make that jump to being at Daniel which is amazing.
CHEF DA: So while I was in France, after my apprenticeship and completing my military service, I bought a small car and I drove to Paris because my boss at the time, talked about Paris every day. I was like, I need to go there. I'm gonna go to the capital. I need to work with the best and I eventually found a job there which led me to another job, and I eventually got the job at Fauchon (Editor’s Note: Fauchon is a legendary French Pastry shop), which was the leader in terms of products imported from all over the world, from spices, oils, like anything you name it – fruits and vegetables, like anything that they all came in that was exotic from all over the world. The pastry department was huge. It was a time where it was growing very fast and I was a hired as one of the pastry cooks there.
I worked there for 8 years. I was supposed to stay for 4 months. I stayed there for 8 years.
AM: Wow.
CHEF DA: In 2006, Daniel Boulud was looking for a pastry chef, so he called me, I was in Paris at the time and I was in charge of the International Development of the brand. So I was traveling a lot and he asked me if I wanted to come to New York to, you know, for the Pastry Chef job. I really didn't want to go back to a restaurant but it took me half a second to say okay, let's try.
I came to Daniel here in New York in 2006 with two suitcases. I folded everything back in France. I left everything. And I came with 2 suitcases, slept on a couch for like, 3 months – I didn’t have time to buy a bed!
AM: Right.
CHEF DA: I worked at Daniel for 6 years as the Executive Pastry Chef there and it was amazing years. Of course, in 2011, I decided to jump on my own and to take the next step and start my business.
AM: Why did you want to do that?
CHEF DA: Why? I always knew. I knew from when I was young that I want to be an entrepreneur, I want to own my own business. I want to do my own thing. I like the challenge of multitasking and wearing different hats. I like the challenge of making beautiful food but also like the business side. Having the interaction with the guests and knowing how to express yourself. It's all these like, things combined together, makes it very exciting to me.
AM: I mean, you have created some amazing pastry moments. I mean, the Cronut, which, I remember going in many times trying to get one and it was gone. I was just like argh foiled again!
CHEF DA: Haha I’m sorry!
AM: Then your Cookie Shot comes out and it’s another craze around that.
What does it mean to you that you've created like these little niches that are always going to be etched like you know, in the culinary world.
CHED DA: You know, it's overwhelmingly humbling. When I look back sometimes I'm like, I don't realize how much of an impact I left within the pastry world. I'm still walking around and I don't take it for granted. One of the best moments for me was When I was in Japan, we had a shop there. We were selling the Frozen S’mores which is our small version of the ice cream version of a s’mores.
AM: Yep.
CHEF DA: We were selling up to a 1,000 a day.
AM: Wow!
CHEF DA: 1000 a day! We couldn't keep up like we were making them and we were always selling. I stepped back for a second. I was like, this is amazing. I grew up in France. I learned my job in France. I came to America in 2006, barely knowing what a s’mores was.
AM: Yeah.
CHEF DA: Or what the tradition, or the meaning of it was.
AM: Yeah.
CHEF DA: Like I loved it so much that I embraced the culture, the American culture, the fact that people were coming together around the campfire, and friends, and family, and sharing this moment in time, where something as simple as the s’mores had so much signification for people and meaning of like getting together.
I took this as let's do something fun with it. Let's do something different. So of course we're having ice cream. that is surrounded by the honey marshmallow and chocolate wafer with crispy wafer and a little sea salt and we torch it in front of people. And that was really enjoyed by the Japanese people. People were mind blown and they were like, what is this? It’s portable. It's small. It's torched and finished in front of you. It's chewy. It's like crunchy. It's like not too sweet. It's like it's so much fun. It's ice cream inside. They love, love loved this so much that s’mores became a trend in Japan right after we opened our shop there. I took a step back I'm like, “my God. I'm a French man who lived in France, came to America when I was in my late 20s, and I managed to bring something so cultural from our country to another.” I feel very fortunate to have a chance to express myself through that and to cross cultures together and it's, it's amazing. It's a once in a lifetime.
AM: Oh 100% I mean, s'mores are serious business! I'm from the Midwest and we are serious about our s'mores and our bourbon –
CHEF DA: And bourbon!
AM: And Bourbon for those that want that adult version!
So how did this partnership come up with you and the Honey Bunches of Oats and Chocolate? That is just so fun to see and to taste that pairing today!
CHEF DA: Well, you know, they reached out asking me if we want to do something together and I think that is a natural connection and extension. It's a natural extension of what we do.
AM: Yeah.
CHEF DA: It's sweets, pastry, it's, you know, breakfasty.
AM: Yep.
CHEF DA: It's just a natural connection and creating something new and fun with Honey Bunches of Oats and especially launching thei chocolate flavor. I mean, it's like exciting for me and something fun that we did together.
AM: I mean, the French Fries. I love that. I mean, I love potatoes.
CHEF DA: I mean, isn’t it every kids dream for breakfast?
AM: I could definitely enjoy having this.
Will you do anything else with them?
CHEF DA: We're just doing this event today. We're not playing to do anything else - yet.
