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
Photo: Studio Unfolded