Revel in New York
A look at the city through its people
Pierre Herme
French Pastry Chef
Born 1961 Colmar, France
Pierre Hermé is a French pastry chef that Vogue called "the Picasso of Pastry".
He began his career at the age of 14 as an apprentice to Gaston Lenôtre, he later, at the age of 24, became a pastry chef and today, is considered by many to be the greatest living French pastry chef.
He has published many books including “The Cook's Book”, which came out in the United States and Great Britain in October 2005 and won the Best Cookbook Design Award at the 2005 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
With his original approach to the profession of pastry chef, he revolutionized even the most firmly entrenched traditions. For example, he prefers discreet pastry decors and "uses sugar like salt, in other words, as a seasoning to heighten other shades of flavor."
Refusing to sit on his laurels, he is always revising his own work, exploring new taste territories and revisiting his own recipes. As a result, he has been praised by many food writers and critics. He has been called "The Picasso of Pastry " (Vogue Magazine), "pastry provocateur" (Food & Wine), "an avant-garde pastry chef and a magician with tastes" (Paris-Match), "The Kitchen Emperor" (New York Times) and "The King of Modern Pâtisserie" (The Guardian).
In 2007 Pierre Hermé was awarded "Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur" by Frances, then president, Jacques Chirac.
