We
are shocked to see you!
» The two teenagers waited for more than an hour behind the glass, the duration of our interview, in order to take a selfie with our interlocutor.
A rap star, of the big screen?
Better than that, the star of today's French pastry: Cédric Grolet.
Oversized black t-shirt and pants, sneakers on his feet (he collects them), tattooed arms, the 38-year-old chef seems to willingly agree to his fans' requests.
It must be said that beneath his modest, almost childish exterior, he has nearly 10 million subscribers on Instagram, more than 6 on TikTok.
And knows how much he owes to social networks, whose codes he masters to perfection.
Every week, he devotes two days to filming polished recipe videos to feed his accounts.
“
The effect on sales is immediate
,” he assures.
To discover
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Although today he wears a luxury watch on his wrist (he is an ambassador for the Cartier brand), he does not hide his weakness for sports cars (and above all Lamborghinis), Cédric Grolet likes to emphasize his modest origins and his taste for simple things.
He has a more complex personality than he seems and is forced to juggle success for which he was not prepared.
He grew up in Auvergne surrounded by five brothers and sisters, a stay-at-home mother and a trucker father, with the firm desire to “
get by
”.
His grandfather, a restaurateur in Andrézieux-Bouthéon, gave him a taste for cooking.
He followed a classic pastry course (CAP and technical trade certificate) before going to Paris at the age of 20 -
“I saw the capital as one more exam to pass”.
He started as a clerk at Fauchon, which he left five years later to join Meurice as pastry sous-chef, in 2011, with Camille Lesecq (who gave him his place the following year) and Yannick Alléno, on the kitchen side.
After being dubbed by the chef of Ledoyen, he seduced Alain Ducasse who took over the kitchens of the palace on rue de Rivoli.
“Gaining their trust was the hardest part.”
Also read: Parisian palace snacks put to the test
At Le Meurice, Cédric Grolet is making a name for himself thanks to his larger-than-life sculpted fruits.
He was elected best pastry chef in France in 2015, then in the world.
Recipe books, TV shows and the boom in social networks will follow.
To retain him, in 2018 Le Meurice offered him the boutique he dreamed of within the palace.
The following year, he opened his first bakery and pastry shop on avenue de l'Opéra, for which he developed creations in the shape of flowers.
Hundreds of customers still queue up every day to treat themselves to her cakes.
“A lot of people know what I am today, but not who I was before.
My whole life has been devoted to my work, even to the detriment of my family.
I am always afraid of closure, it is fundamental that I remain focused to succeed,”
he reminds us, in response to those who are jealous of his success.
A hard worker who takes care of himself
Giant cookies in pizza boxes.
Calvin COURJON
Today, Cédric Grolet is much more than a pastry chef, he is an entrepreneur at the head of a group of 350 people, who has just opened a third take-out café concept, rue Danielle-Casanova, intended for a nomadic clientele, younger, more Parisian, more relaxed.
“I have been traveling a lot for around ten years, which allows me to discover different cultures around the world.
For Cédric Grolet Café, I was inspired by the United States and the open world of coffee shops,”
he explains, confessing to only drinking coffee for two and a half years (he preferred until then hot chocolate).
An admitted late discovery, which inspired the name of the blend roasted in Île-de-France for the home: “Coffee for adults”.
A dozen drinks - from classic
espresso
, filter,
latte
,
cold brew
to trompe l'oeil
carrot cake
or mulled wine flavors - accompany two joyfully anti-diet creations: giant cookies in pizza boxes and croissant-donuts topped with cream .
Available in five flavors each, they are offered in recycled kraft packaging, scrupulously designed by the chef.
Who also actively participated in the development of the place, which required six months of work:
Architecture is my second passion after baking.
I choose the stones myself from the quarries.
I even have a company with which I renovate apartments for my teams,”
he explains, going through several attempts to obtain the perfect lighting for the shelves during our interview.
Croissant donuts.
Calvin Courjon
As for his apartment, located in the 1st arrondissement, he selected beautiful materials in a spirit of purity and readability:
There is no window, the cakes are placed directly on racks on the Taj Mahal granite!
A stitched mirror adorns the back of the room:
I love vintage worlds, hunting in Saint-Ouen, giving the impression that everything has always been there..."
Read also: Cédric Grolet arrives in London with his flower cakes and trompe-l'oeil fruits
In the spring, Cédric Grolet, who starts each day with an hour and a half of sport, will open a boutique in the center of Saint-Tropez and will take charge of the sweet score of the Airelles hotels (with which he already collaborates in Courchevel) Château de la Messardière and Pan Deï Palais.
After London and Singapore, it is preparing to sign another opening abroad.
And for three years he has been working on a fourth Parisian concept that he wants to keep secret.
Does he have any free time left?
“I try to take care of it more than before.
For the first time in thirteen years, I spent Christmas with my brother.
I love being in the mountains, by the sea, recharging my batteries, cycling, fishing…”
He goes to restaurants, but his popularity forces him to remain discreet:
“I have my habits in small restaurants, I appreciate dishes to share, good fish, salads, a free-range roast chicken… I have to understand what I am eating!
When he allows himself a dessert, this
great gourmand
goes for French toast, crème caramel or floating island.
The taste of its origins is never far away.