Chef Gregory Doyen ( Instagram A/c : gregorydoyen ) from the French Burgundy region is a well known pastry chef . His passion to become a pastry chef rose when he saw his mother cooking and dad making glass sculptures . He combined both their professions and used in his career as glass sculpture helps him to become more artistic. After completing his studies he started his career as a confectioner at “ Grand Vefour” in Paris and at 5 star restaurant “Le St Paul” in South of France . There he refined his knowledge in “ Dessert sur assiette”. In 2011 he became an executive pastry chef for Hediard group in Russia, designed and opened a 650m2 luxury pastry laboratory. In December 2015 he became executive pastry chef for Luxury Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan. Not only this Gregory improved his management and pastry skills by running the pastry production with 35 employees in his team , he produced over 500 different pastries daily for gourmet restaurant, room service and catering. In 2018 he decided to move forward in life so he made his own consulting and an educational project known as “GD Sweet Concepts”. From here he became internationally famous and worked in different countries like London, India, China etc. He made high profile clients like : Cartier , Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Mont Blanc, Dior Parfum, Land Rover, Philips etc.
Q.) Why did you choose the profession of becoming a pastry chef ?
Chef Gregory : It was an evidence for me, I was born into an artistic family and my mother loves to cook. The only job that can match both the professions is being a “PASTRY ” Chef.
Q.) From your life experience , one part was that you made 500 different pastries daily with your team. Was it a difficult task ? If yes then how did you manage it ?
Chef Gregory : It was not a difficult task , in this job you have to always “Keep the quality” and “Organizing the things” is the key to success. When I start making desserts everything is super organized.
Q.) Your desserts have a magic of lots of colors with the creativity of flowers including fresh fruits in it. Is it because you are from France or is there some other reason ?
Chef Gregory : It’s not because I am French, actually I love fruits. In fruits you will get the original sweetness and for me they are a precious ingredient. And by adding a pinch of chocolate the desserts become incredible. I travel around the world and fruits are always an amazing ingredient.
Q.) How did your father’s handcrafted glass sculptures help you to choose your career as a pastry chef ?
Chef Gregory : The art of glass is very much similar to Artistic Pastry and I always get amazed by the Artistic Pastry.
Q.) Please tell us about your brand GD Sweet Concept .
Chef Gregory : GD Sweet concept is a consulting brand who assist in different areas :
- Developing new ideas, concept for horeca
- Pastry shop , hotel / restaurant developing menu
- Designing production
- Management and teaching
Q.) How you feel making desserts for your high profile clients like Louis Vuitton, Cartier , Mercedes Benz etc. Do you make something special for them ?
Chef Gregory : I feel really good and yes something special is always there because you can’t propose the same stuff for other clients, you have to always create something new for them.
Q.) You are from the French Burgundy region which is famous for producing wine. Tell me something about burgundy desserts ?
Chef Gregory : Yes it’s true Burgundy region is famously known for wine but it’s also special for other things like berries especially blackcurrant, pear and some spicy bread (pain D’Epices and nonette) . There are a lot of traditional Burgundy desserts and they are not really fancy like I do, but definitely they are tasty which is most important.
Q.) Being a pastry chef you are a good dessert teacher also. What do you have to say about it ?
Chef Gregory : I love to share my experience, knowledge and teaching, my art is very important. I mostly teach the passionate and curious people who want a career in this field.
Q.) What is that one thing which makes your desserts unique ?
Chef Gregory : My desserts are not sweet and there is always a special touch or reflections in it that is why they are so unique.
Q.) Any advice for the upcoming chefs who want to make their career as a pastry chef ?
Chef Gregory : You have to be passionate and motivated to make your career as a Pastry Chef. Being a pastry chef like me , you have to count a minimum of 12 years , don’t count your hours and money at the beginning .
By: Rida Khan ( Aviation Author )
(Instagram A/c : aviationauthor.ridakhan )
