Have you had one of the “sculpted fruits” at Le Meurice in Paris? What appears to be a real fruit is in fact a delicate, multi-textured pastry— a true technical feat by Cédric Grolet and his team. This eye-catching sweet isn’t the only marvel on the menu at the Dorchester Collection’s palace hotel on Rue de Rivoli. Grolet also innovates with classics in the French pastry repertoire like the Saint-Honoré and Paris Brest, adding his own herbs and spices, while cutting the fat and sugar.
Needless to say, it’s no surprise that Grolet was recently named The World’s Best Pastry Chef 2018 at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards. The ceremony was held on June 19 in Bilbao, Spain, where Grolet was feted for both his creativity and mastery of pastry techniques. Previous winners have included Dominique Ansel, inventor of the cronut, in 2017 and Pierre Hermé in 2016. Grolet is racking up the awards. He was also named 2018's Best Pastry Chef by the Gault & Millau guide, and nabbed World's Best Restaurant Pastry Chef by Les Grandes Tables du Monde in 2017.
Le Meurice announced the opening of a dedicated pastry boutique at 6 rue de Castiglione in March. As we reported at the time, “patisserie is having a moment in Paris. In recent years, it’s catapulted into the spotlight as a culinary art form, with elaborate sugary creations admired like haute couture. And Cédric Grolet is at the top of his game.” Pick up one of his artistic oeuvres at the Paris shop or drool over them on Instagram.
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