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Christophe MichalakFrench pastry chef
Date of Birth: 22.07.1973
Country:  France |
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Biography of Christophe Michalak
Christophe Michalak, a French pastry chef, was born on July 22, 1973, in Senlis, Oise, France. He is currently the head pastry chef at the Plaza Athenee hotel in Paris. Michalak has accumulated a unique professional experience by working his way up from a small pastry shop in Picardy to becoming the World Champion of Pastry in 2005 and the head pastry chef at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant of Alain Ducasse in the legendary Plaza Athenee hotel. His journey to becoming the master of pastry at Plaza Athenee involved working in renowned establishments in London, Brussels, Tokyo, New York, as well as famous French pastry centers like Fauchon and Laduree. Michalak served as the inspiration and consultant for the exclusive macaron boutique Paulette in Beverly Hills. Last year, he released his first book "C'est du Gateau!" (It's Cake!), where he revealed some of the secrets of his craft for aspiring pastry chefs. He is a regular instructor at several prestigious pastry schools in France, runs a popular pastry blog online, and manages his own pastry recruitment agency, "Michalak Connect," which operates worldwide.
Elevating French Pastry Art
Michalak's inspiration comes from fond memories of his happy childhood, the tastes and smells of his family's pastry shop where his parents would take him. His talent lies in elegantly combining traditional French sweets with his own diverse experience as a traveler and gourmet. With an incredible memory bank for tastes and smells, which he began cultivating at the age of 15, Michalak skillfully juggles familiar forms and ingredients to create his own unique and deeply personal compositions. He has brought back the glory of many classic French pastries like religieuse, choux, marshmallow, flan, and Yule log. Michalak's passion for creating beauty and bringing joy to people's lives through his pastries is what drives him. He believes that one cannot succeed without being generous and truly loving their craft. Michalak's career began with traveling the world to satisfy his curiosity and hunger for new experiences.
A Journey of Culinary Excellence
Moving from one prestigious establishment to another, Michalak's journey started with working at Hilton hotels in London and Brussels from 1991 to 1993. He then worked at the renowned Negresco hotel in Nice from 1993 to 1995. In 1995, he moved to Paris to work at the delicatessen shop Fauchon. Michalak opened his own pastry shop in Kobe, Japan, from 1997 to 1998 and later became a consultant for Pierre Herme in New York from 1998 to 1999. He returned to Paris in 1999 to work at the famous pastry shop Maison Laduree on the Champs-Elysees. Since 2000, Michalak has been the head pastry chef at Plaza Athenee, including Alain Ducasse's restaurant, which holds three Michelin stars. In 2005, he became the World Champion of Pastry, a title he held for two years. Since then, his dream has been to become an ambassador for French pastry culture worldwide. Michalak opened the exclusive macaron boutique Paulette in Beverly Hills in 2007 and released his first book "C'est du Gateau!" the same year. He released his second book "Les desserts qui me font craquer" in 2010. Michalak's culinary skills have taken him to Moscow, where he presented a special series of eight desserts during his visit in 2008.
