Pierre Hermé (; born 20 November 1961) is a French

pastry chef A pastry chef or pâtissier (; feminine pâtissière, ) is a station chef in a professional kitchen, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods. They are employed in large hotels, bistros, restaurants, bakeries, b ...

and

chocolatier A chocolatier ( ; ; ) is a person or company that makes and sells chocolate confections. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other raw ingredients. Chocolatiers work artisanally with pre- ...

. He began his career at the age of 14 as an apprentice to

Gaston Lenôtre Gaston Lenôtre (, 28 May 1920 – 8 January 2009) was a French pastry chef. He is known as a possible creator of the opera cake (''gâteau opéra''), the founder of Lenôtre a culinary empire, whose brand includes restaurants, catering services, ...

. Called "the Picasso of Pastry" by ''Vogue'', Hermé was awarded the title of World's Best Pastry Chef in 2016 by

The World's 50 Best Restaurants The World's 50 Best Restaurants is a list produced by the UK media company William Reed Ltd, William Reed, which originally appeared in the British magazine ''Restaurant (magazine), Restaurant'' in 2002. The list and awards are no longer direc ...

. He was also ranked the fourth most influential French person in the world by '' Vanity Fair''. In 1998, Hermé created his own brand with Charles Znaty. He has written or co-written over 40 books.

Life and career

Heir to four generations of Alsatian bakery and pastry-making tradition, Pierre Hermé arrived in Paris at the age of 14 to start his first apprenticeship with

. He created the Maison Pierre Hermé Paris in 1998 with his associate Charles Znaty. The first Pierre Hermé Paris boutique opened in Tokyo in 1998, followed in 2001 by a boutique in Paris, located in the

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Germain-des-Prés () is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Its official borders are the River Seine on the nor ...

fashion district at 72

Rue Bonaparte The Rue Bonaparte () is a street in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It spans the Quai Voltaire/Quai Malaquais to the Jardin du Luxembourg, crossing the Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Place Saint-Sulpice and has housed many of France's mos ...

. Success was immediate in Tokyo and Paris alike. Every day, enthusiastic gourmets discovered Hermé pastries,

macaron A macaron ( , ) or French macaroon ( ) is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and often food colouring. Since the 19th century, a typical Parisian-style macaron has been a ...

s and chocolates. In late 2004, a second Parisian boutique with its very innovative interior design opened at 185

Rue de Vaugirard ''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of the genus '' Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Mediterranean. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially fo ...

. In early 2005, Tokyo saw the inauguration of the latest Pierre Hermé Paris concepts: the Luxury Convenience Store and the Chocolate Bar. Both establishments are situated in the Omotesando district, where all of the major imported brands and fashion houses active in Japan are also present. In 2008, Hermé and Znaty launched the first Macarons & Chocolats Pierre Hermé Paris boutique on Rue Cambon in Paris. In 2010, they inaugurated the Maison Pierre Hermé on Rue Fortuny in Paris, home to the Atelier de Création. The brand is a member of the

Comité Colbert Comité Colbert is a French association "to promote the concept of luxury." It was founded in 1954 by Jean-Jacques Guerlain, son of French perfumer Jacques Guerlain. The association has more than 100 members, most of which are French companies in ...

and has an established partnership with the Raffles group and Ritz Carlton group and Dior since the opening of the Café Dior by Pierre Hermé in 2015 in Seoul. The company has been expanding strongly since 2010 on the international scene with several boutiques located in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Since 2012, his desserts have been served on

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. ANA operates services to both domestic and international destinations and is Japan's largest airline, ahead of its main rival flag carrier Japan Airlines. the airline has approximate ...

. In 2017, Hermé entered a partnership with

La Mamounia La Mamounia (; Arabic: ) is a five-star hotel in Marrakesh, Morocco, opposite the Kutubiyya Mosque. Widely regarded as one of the best hotels globally, La Mamounia has been named the best hotel in the world by ''Condé Nast Traveler''. It is mark ...

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

, to cater products on site.

Creative style and praise

Pierre Hermé utilises discreet pastry decors and explores new taste territories in his products. Praise has often been lavished on Pierre Hermé, who has been called "pastry provocateur" (''Food & Wine''), "an avant-garde pastry chef and a magician with tastes" (''Paris Match''), and "The Kitchen Emperor" (''New York Times''). Hermé was the youngest person to be named France's Pastry Chef of the Year, and is the only pastry chef to have been decorated as a

Chevalier of Arts and Letters The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant co ...

. He was awarded ''

Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

'' by

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

in May 2007. In October 2023, an online class where Hermé teaches Iconic Pastries launched on PastryClass.

Books

* Pierre Hermé, ''Secrets Gourmands'', Larousse, 1993 * ''La Pâtisserie de Pierre Hermé'', Montagud Editores, Spain, 1994 * Co-writer ''Larousse Gastronomique'', 1996 * ''Le Larousse des Desserts de Pierre Hermé'', Larousse, 1997 * ''Plaisirs Sucrés'', Hachette, 1997 * ''Desserts by Pierre Hermé'', Little Brown, US, 1998 * Pierre Hermé, ''Secrets Gourmands'', Shibata Shoten, Japan, 1999 * ''Desserts à la carte'', Hachette, 2000 * Pierre Hermé, ''Secrets Gourmands'', Noésis, 2000 * ''La Pâtisserie de Pierre Hermé'', Edizioni Finedit, Italy, 2001 * ''Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé'', Little Brown, US, 2001 * ''Le Larousse des Desserts'', Larousse, 2002 * ''Plaisirs Sucrés'' (re-edition), Hachette, October 2002 * ''Mes Desserts au Chocolat'', Agnès Viénot Éditions, October 2002 * ''Mes Desserts Préférés'', Agnès Viénot Éditions, October 2003 * ''Die Pâtisserie Von Pierre Hermé'', Mathaes, Germany, 2004 * ''Le Larousse du Chocolat'', Éditions Larousse, October 2005 * ''The Cooks Book'', Dorling Kindersley, UK, October 2005 * ''PH10'', Agnès Vienot Éditions, October 2005. Winner of the

Gourmand World Cookbook Awards A gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure and interest in consuming particularly good food and drink. ''Gourmand'' originally referred to a person who was "a glutton for food and drink", a person who eats and drinks excessively. Etymolog ...

* ''Gourmandises'', Agnès Vienot Éditions, October 2006 * Co-writer ''Comme un chef'', Éditions Larousse, October 2006 * ''Gourmandises'', Agnès Viénot, Éditions, 2006 * ''Le Larousse des desserts'', Larousse, 2006 * ''Confidences Sucrées'', Agnès Viénot Éditions, 2007 * ''Macaron'', Agnès Viénot Édition, 2008 * ''Le Larousse des Desserts'', Dohosha Media Plan, 2008 * ''Le livre des Fours secs et moelleux de Pierre Hermé'', Asahiya Shuppan, 2009 * ''Carrément Chocolat'', Agnès Viénot Édition, 2009 * ''Infiniment'', Agnès Viénot Édition, 2010 * ''Le Livre Chocolat de Pierre Hermé'', Asahiya Shuppan, 2010 * ''Rêves de pâtissier : 50 classiques de la pâtisserie réinventés'', Éditions de la Martinière, October 2011 * ''Best of Pierre Hermé'', Alain Ducasse Édition, November 2011 * ''Macarons'', Grub Street Publishing, UK, 2011 * ''Le Livre des Viennoiseries de Pierre Hermé'', Asahiya Shuppan, 2011 * ''Au Cœur du Goût'' (co-writer with Jean-Michel Duriez), Agnès Viénot Éditions, 2012 * ''Le Chocolat Apprivoisé'', PHP Editions, 2013 * ''Ispahan'', Éditions de la Martinière, 2013 * ''Pierre Hermé et moi'' (illustrated by Soledad Bravi), Édition Marabout, April 2014 * ''Macaron'', Éditions de la Martinière, October 2014 * ''Satine'', Éditions Gründ, 2015 * ''Chocolat, Pierre Hermé & Sergio Coimbra'', Flammarion, 2016

References

External links

Official websitePierre Herme ArticleCannes Dessert Prize Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herme, Pierre 1961 births French chefs French male chefs Pastry chefs People from Colmar Living people Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres