Patisserie in Nice is booming
Young talents and master pâtissiers vie in creativity to bring the art of sweetness to its peak.
By Lionel Leoty Le Petit Lu Gourmand
© photos lespetitsmarchands Millefeuille à la vanille de Papouasie, signé par le Niçois Cédric Servela pour Les Petits Marchands.
Philippe Tayac, un jeune pâtissier réputé pour ses desserts haut de gamme.© philippetayac
Pâtissiers are the new social network stars. Their “Instagrammable” creations provoke digital excitement and long queues outside their shops. Aficionados are ready to spend large amounts of money to taste a Grolet, Couvreur or Lignac “Holy Grail”... A craze that is gradually spreading to Nice where, for a long time, you had to rely on a handful of leaders in fine pâtisserie to treat yourself to something sweet – Canet, Lac, Deli-Bo...
Young prodigy Philippe Tayac was among the first to tantalise Nice’s luscious realm with his trendsetting upmarket creations. With successive openings, pâtisserie has continued to grow and is very much in tune with the times. Pâtissier Gaël Moutet has settled in Vieux-Nice after a brilliant career in the luxury hotel industry that took him from Hong Kong to Toronto. He offers refined, slightly sweetened pâtisserie with exotic vibes in his rue du Collet shop: Coque Coco Pangkor and Bolobao inspired by his Asian experiences…
Paul Occhipinti, MOF chocolatier, and his partner Mathieu Ansquer (both Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc) sought a distinctive contemporary address with Maison Céline. This rue de la Liberté boutique-tasting room gives pride of place to fine tarts with seasonal fruits or intense chocolate and modernises the great classics with a surprise twist.
Cédric Servela (Crillon and Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa) officiates for Les Petits Marchands and the Gusto Family, offering delicate pleasures coated with gourmandise, like the unmissable XXL Pecan Eclair. Nuances, the restaurant that playfully shook up young gourmets’ taste buds with its blind menu, presents its Nuances Pâtisserie where Vincent Gidon (Château Eza and La Réserve de Nice) creations can be eaten on the spot or taken them away. Young Jonathan Le Pâtissier, a former osteopath who changed direction, has made a name for himself with his mobile choux bar and is now well established. A welcome development in the sector, likely to become even more exciting in the coming days with the arrival of former Chèvre d’Or** pâtissier Julien Dugourd and his haute couture pâtisserie with its chiselled, starry visual, not far from place Garibaldi.
Une des spécialités de Jonathan le Pâtissier, les choux craquelin frais. © Double K
De belles surprises à la Pâtisserie Nuances avec les créations de Vincent Gidon à déguster sur place ou à emporter.© lepetitlugourmand
Le pâtissier Gael Moutet, un compagnon du devoir passionné au brillant parcours international.
La boutique-salon de dégustation Maison Céline modernise les grands classiques de la pâtisserie.© lepetitlugourmand
