- By Admin
- December 06, 2023
Text by Séverine Engels
More than a profession, an art
When the mastery of a professional turns into an art
Through complete immersion in the family business, he discovers a profession – a passion. Back in France, he began his studies at the Lycée Hôtelier Notre Dame de la Providence in Orchies (North of France) with a B.E.P./C.A.P. in pastry (professional aptitude certifications) followed by a C.A.P. in chocolate, carried out as a work/study training programme with Dominique Benoit, a chocolatier in Lille. This is the beginning of a promising career.
In 2007, he reached the final of Meilleur Apprenti de France (Best Apprentice in France). It was there that he was spotted by Stéphane Glacier, M.O.F. pâtissier, who suggested developing his range with Frédéric Lalos in the Quartiers du Pain. During this period, he spent two years completing a B.T.M. at CEPAL in Nancy, where he met Quentin Bailly, and then cut his teeth with Emmanuel Ryon, M.O.F. glacier, for the opening of Café Pouchkine. He then spent a year with Franck Michel, M.O.F pâtissier, at the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne before joining the Hôtel du Cap Eden Roc in Antibes where he entered the team of Lilian Bonnefoi as assistant director: "This was my first experience in the field of pastry in the restaurant industry. I had to manage all products for the brasserie, as well as for the gourmet restaurant and breakfasts. I was involved with everything, pastry, chocolate, pastries, it was very interesting and formative.”
"I was involved in everything, pastry, chocolate, pastries..."
Passionate about competition, he embarked on the Championnat Européen du sucre (European Sugar Championship) in 2011, before assisting Guillaume Mabilleau in his preparation for the competition Meilleurs ouvriers de France. He does the same with Quentin Bailly, who he met in training for the World Cup in 2013. The same year, he took home 1stprize at the European Challenge in Belfort. It was during this competition that he was able to demonstrate the extent of his creativity by creating a camera on a tripod. He won third place and an artistic prize at Charles Proust in 2014.
A year later, he took part in the selection process for the World Cup, before winning the title of World Champion two years later, in 2017.
This recognition opens doors for him, and Etienne decides to start his own business and launches his consulting company offering training and demonstrations. Although he had been planning to base himself in the South of France, Guy Krenzer, M.O.F. charcutier-traiteur and M.O.F. cuisinier, and Olivier Voarick, Managing Director, of Maison Lenôtre contacted him to join the team of this famous institution. Since last October, he has taken on the role of head of development.
"We also need to inject some modernity"
Etienne brings his experience and know-how to the role, both in terms of R&D for the Lenôtre boutiques but also when it comes to catering and events: "It's a challenge because it's a House with a long history that needs to be preserved, while trying to modernise it. I have to be proactive, it's a bit like having my own shop, except that everything created must be applied in the twelve shops in France, and the franchises abroad. Coordination is very important and involves many different skills. When a product comes out, it must be calibrated, costed, the technical sheet and visual must be ready. This requires flexibility and responsiveness. The goal is to bring a younger clientele into the boutiques. And we still have the classics, of course, perfected over time and still just as good, pastry chefs who have been with the House for a long time and are truly a force to be reckoned with as they’ve got some real expertise. We also need to inject some modernity, showing that there are artisans at work each day in the shop’s pastry kitchens.”
On top of his role as coordinator, Étienne must also manage teams, train staff and ensure the quality of production as well as delegate. A challenge he is ready to take on: "Gradually we’ll get there, when I see the work our team have done on the Christmas chalet, I tell myself that anything is possible.”
In his daily work, the World Champion enjoys searching for creativity, artistic meaning and new techniques to be implemented.
"It's not about making something to post on Instagram, but making real pastry that’s high quality. The manual work of an artisan is already artistic, innovative design can inject some modernity. We’re looking for aesthetics but also practicality: for instance, is this the right packaging for the product?” He laments the fact that the artistic pieces proposed by candidates during competitions are often mere copies, demonstrating a lack of creativity, "it's a work philosophy, some reproduce what has already been done and others experiment with new things. During my B.T.M., I found myself challenged by the book "Matière chocolat" by Stéphane Leroux. He approaches chocolate in a different way and brings his own vision of the profession. His techniques are innovative. I had a revelation and thought to myself, why can’t we do the same thing with sugar? Why not contribute my own style? When I did the Belfort competition I wanted to have this wrought iron look for the camera and I ended up finding a way to do it. I get a lot of inspiration from other trades like ironwork, carpentry, glasswork; materials and textures that are worked and the result they give. I try to find the tricks to reproduce the marble, granite or wood effect with sugar or gum paste. That's why it's important to do competitions because they allow you to surpass your goals. I find that they are sometimes too inhibiting of creativity because the candidates have a panel of imposed techniques, whereas a piece does not require a ribbon, for example. On the other hand, I think it’s important to master these essential bases before being able to develop your own style and open yourself up to other creative perspectives. I also really enjoy art and design, they are sources of inspiration for me.”
"An artisan with manual skill is already an artist"
And even though he is aware that today's world places a lot of importance on image, Etienne keeps his feet on the ground and tries to impart the idea that a beautiful handmade decoration can be just as aesthetic as a design using a silicone mould. “An artisan with manual skill is already an artist. He can communicate his sensitivity in his creation through the gourmet imperfection of a pretty St-Honoré piping for example.”
