« I am Jeffrey Cagnes, Parisian pastry chef, I opened my shop at 24 rue des Moines in the 17th arrondissement a few weeks ago! This shop, cit’s 21 years of hard work to make a dream come true! I went through a multitude of houses: in small boxes and until I finished chef at Stohrer rue Montorgueil with a brigade of 25 pastry chefs!
I am from Paris, I was born in the 14th arrondissement and I grew up in Troy. My apprenticeship, I started it in Avignon but I always had this wish to come back to Paris and after the apprenticeship, all the big houses being here… it was fine!
I wanted Paris to make me grow up. But at that moment, the only house that opened its doors to me was the Stohrer house, I had deposited a ton of CV everywhere and it is the only one! There, I took a real slap: the district is alive, touristy, cosmopolitan …
At this moment, I’m starting to really fall in love with Paris but also with pastry : this is where I discover my true passion! Before I did not know the competitions, there I saw the great chefs… All this in the provinces, I did not realize it. At the time there were 6 or 7 renowned houses whereas today… it’s no longer the same story!
I also went through the Hédiard house, I worked for Jean-François Trap, with Paris Society too… I met lots of people, set foot in lots of businesses and everything it fed me to get there today: living my dream!
To be accepted in this environment was really a challenge : in my family I am the only one to do that, my family is in the furniture and they work together so really nothing to do with it. Me to be honest, it was really a siding: I was so good in school that I had to find something to do with my life (laughs). I chose the pastry because I had no other choice, so of course I was greedy at the time and thought it was cool to bake cakes because you could eat them too!
After all these experiences, today I felt ready: Paris makes me grow thanks to its exhibitions, its history, its crossbreeding… Things are constantly moving, Paris has a real thing! This dream of precisely creating an ephemeral art with pastry making, what city other than Paris to achieve it?
When I thought about setting up my new store, I looked everywhere but I stayed around Montorgueil: then I said to myself that the cord had to be cut! So, I set my sights on the 17th arrondissement. When people tell me “it’s on the other side of the world”, it’s funny, in fact in Paris I noticed that the city is big but ultimately very small because people stay in their neighborhoods and don’t move!
I had been in Montorgueil for 17 years, it’s good to get out of your comfort zone! What I liked here is that we are in a very healthy neighborhood, very family-friendly with children. And when you are in a neighborhood with children, besides business, it is above all that you are in a happy environment! I wanted toa neighborhood with happiness and that’s it!
When we talk about happiness elsewhere … we all think pastry chefs love Christmas but… it’s the worst time! In 20 years, I must have spent two Christmases with my family, in general I am too tired to go to the log (laughs). Most it’s a great moment because we create links with the team, we are creative. Ultimately, we are the elves of Santa Claus : there are many sleepless nights because all the fridges must be filled with our logs on the 24th! So Merry Christmas! “
The logs are available for order now, withdrawal between December 18 and 24:
The chocolate log
Chocolate log composed of a dense and moist 64% Peru chocolate biscuit with fleur de sel, a caramel cream, a tonka bean chocolate ganache and a flowing caramel insert with fleur de salt. All wrapped in a light Madagascan vanilla cream, covered with a crunchy milk chocolate shell and cocoa flocking.
The lemon log
Lemon log composed of a creamy lime, lemon basil confit and olive oil, with hazelnut streusel. All wrapped in a soft almond cookie, covered with a whipped lime ganache, topped with lemon zest and a sweet dough, bringing crispness and structure to the log.
If the foodies that you are are not satisfied, take a look at the story of Marion and her Box of the Grand Paris!
MORE INFO
Jeffrey Cagnes
24 rue des Moines
75017 Paris
Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Photo of one: Jeffrey Cagnes in the passage des Panoramas / © Kevin Rauzy Foodographie
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