When it comes to pastries, few places can compete with Paris. The French capital has long dazzled tastebuds with its selection of desserts, from macarons to mille-feuille. But in recent years, there’s been a growing appetite for new perspectives, flavors, and innovative pâtissiers that challenge the status quo.
Today, Paris’s best pastry chefs are increasingly breaking the mold, and glass ceilings, of an industry historically lacking diversity. In 2023, Paris-based Nina Métayer made history as the first woman to win the coveted World’s Best Pastry Chef award from the International Union of Bakers and Pastry Chefs. And in 2024, Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme’s pastry chef Naraé Kim, originally from South Korea, became the first non-French woman to win the title of Best Pastry Chef of the Year by Gault-Millau.
It’s not just women finally getting recognition—many of the city’s most prestigious hotels are tapping talented chefs with unique voices. Step into Le Royal Monceau — Raffles Paris, and you’ll be treated to fashion-inspired creations by Yazid Ichemrahen, a French pastry chef who overcame a challenging childhood in foster care to become a world champion in frozen desserts.
Below, we highlight Paris’s new guard of pastry chefs redefining the world of sweets and making the city’s kitchens more inclusive.
Naraé Kim, Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme
Spotlighting fruit through lighter interpretations of French classics, Naraé Kim’s desserts appeal to the evolving tastes of Parisians. The chef’s proclivity for produce is innate—growing up in South Korea, her childhood was punctuated with market-fresh cherries and apricots, and aspirations of living in France. After setting out to become a pastry chef at age 15, she eventually made her way to Paris, overcoming the obstacles of learning a new language and the nuances of a different culture.
Now, the award-winning pastry chef at Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme is paving the way for the next generation. “Ninety-five percent of the people on my team are women, and many are international,” says Kim. “We have a very multicultural kitchen, which I like.” In recent years, there’s been a growing interest in Korean cuisine in Paris, which Kim attributes to the popularity of K-culture as a whole. Later this year, she’s elevating the humble biscuit—a delight from her childhood—through a new afternoon tea experience at the Park Hyatt’s main restaurant that invites people to stop by, slow down, and sample the fruits of her labor in cookie form.
Yazid Ichemrahen, Le Royal Monceau — Raffles Paris
Le Royal Monceau has long been known for its restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Il Carpaccio and the atmospheric Le Bar Long. Now, thanks to pastry chef Yazid Ichemrahen, who joined the Parisian palace hotel in April 2024, there’s even more reason to stay for dessert. Creating art through pastry has always been a form of escapism for the chef, whose childhood hardships fueled his culinary dreams, as chronicled in his autobiographical film, "Sugar and Stars." Discovered and trained by Pascal Caffet, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) and World Pastry Champion, Ichemrahen won the world championship for frozen desserts at 22.
Today, he darts around the art-filled hotel in a Givenchy blazer, inviting guests into his world through elegant desserts influenced by fashion and architecture. His signature black forest cake—a glossy red orb inspired by a shade of Yves Saint Laurent lipstick—is as smooth as silk with its sugar-free whipped cream, light chocolate mousse, and morello cherry confit. Each dessert is finished at the table by a pâtissier from his team, adding a personalized touch he likens to shopping at a high-end boutique. “The real luxury is not just about the recipe—it’s about the experience,” says Ichemrahen. This fall, he’ll bring this philosophy to Yazid Ichemrahen At Home, a new concept shop off Place des Victoires designed to feel like an apartment filled with artisanal curiosities.
Nina Métayer, Délicatisserie
Recently nabbing the title of World’s Best Pastry Chef 2024 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Nina Métayer is one of France’s most exciting culinary talents. While the success of her pastry shop, Délicatisserie, is undeniable, her foray into confections wasn’t without its challenges. Métayer was told early on in her career that a woman’s place was front-of-house, selling products. After cutting her teeth at five-star hotels and overseeing the desserts at high-end restaurants, her major turning point was opening her own pastry business in 2020, which now has an outpost at Printemps du Goût.
Highlighting high-quality ingredients inspired by her upbringing in the west of France and world travels, her work is recognizable for its delicate details and use of innovative techniques. Take her galette des rois (king cake) from 2020, made in collaboration with The French Bastards bakery, which features tulle (created with a 3D-printed mold) honoring the rose window of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral. Even her simplest desserts, like fresh strawberry tarts, engage all five senses. "We make desserts for people, not for ourselves,” says Métayer. “It’s about sharing an emotion and a moment.”
Yu Tanaka, Le Bristol Paris
When Yu Tanaka moved from Japan to France at age 18, he wanted to have coffee at Le Bristol Paris but was too shy to set foot inside the five-star hotel. More than a decade later, he’s now the palace’s pastry chef. Following in the footsteps of his father, a chef who honed his skills at the Michelin-starred Restaurant Paul Bocuse in Lyon, Tanaka always knew he wanted to explore the culinary traditions of France. He first learned the art of fusion creations under Sadaharu Aoki, a Franco-Japanese pâtissier, and later became the head of pastry at the triple-Michelin-starred Epicure.
Today, he continues to build on his deep knowledge of French pastry, while still paying homage to his roots with sculptural desserts inspired by the seasons. “I like to incorporate little touches that remind me of Japan—a sauce, a condiment, or a small hint,” he says. This summer, he created a fragrant raspberry pavlova with shiso sorbet. His latest obsession? Concocting desserts featuring honey produced on the hotel’s rooftop.
Myriam Sabet, Maison Aleph
“Aleph” is the first letter of the Arabic and Hebrew alphabets. And in Paris, it’s become synonymous with creative sweets that freely draw inspiration from Levantine flavors and textures. At Myriam Sabet’s pastry shop, Maison Aleph (which has locations in the Marais and Montmartre neighborhoods), you’ll find crispy phyllo nests featuring pistachio and ice cream enriched with za’atar, honey, and apricot, Originally hailing from Aleppo, Syria. Sabet began her career in finance but took the plunge into the world of pastry after the birth of her daughter.
Noticing the absence of high-quality Middle Eastern pastry shops in Paris, she decided to innovatively pay homage to her roots. “I learned the alphabet of French pastry and the alphabet of Middle Eastern pastry to be able to compose my own language.” For her, Aleph also signifies a fresh start. Since opening her shops, Sabet has been lovingly embraced by the Parisians—her award-winning orange blossom, strawberry, and pistachio tart is a favorite. “I don’t think there is a city in the world as fond of pastry as Paris,” she says. Even in a metropolis brimming with sweets, there’s always room for something new.