World's best pastry chef stays true to artisan roots

At a Parisian patisserie, the aroma of freshly baked bread fills the air as Benoit Castel, the newly crowned world's best pastry chef, diligently works on testing new recipes. At 54 years old, with silver-gray hair, Castel has returned to his customary routine as an artisan-retailer following the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners' (UIBC) naming of him as the World Confectioner of the Year last month.

He stated, "I have a mission: to be the world champion every day in my shop for my customers." Castel manages multiple establishments in Paris and adheres to his motto, "It's all about the product." Three years after Nina Metayer, another French pastry chef, won the championship, Castel received the prestigious UIBC award in July 14, 2022, in Singapore.

The UIPB acknowledges a leading figure in the profession, recognizing their career and contribution to the trade. Castel, from Brittany in western France, emphasizes the significance of his work, stating, "Every day, we make things that people put into their bodies." His patisserie features blueberry and raspberry tartlets, cherry clafoutis, and vanilla flans, but his bestseller is a chocolate choux pastry.

Decorated with a small scalloped shortbread biscuit, reminiscent of his home region, Castel avoids colorings, gold, or silver leaf. Fruit and vegetables are sourced from his own gardens and orchards in Brittany, where he grew up witnessing his grandparents make butter. The grandson of farmers, Castel developed an early interest in pastry-making after witnessing a pastry chef sculpt the Loire Valley Chateau de Chambord out of sugar during a dinner three years ago.

His passion for pastry-making was ignited at age seven when he received his first recipe book. From his kitchen, which opens onto the shop and dining room, he collaborates with head baker Romain Montbabut, testing new recipes. Montbabut, who has worked with Castel for six years, describes him as demanding and perfectionistic, traits he highly appreciates.

Upon leaving his role with renowned chef Helene Darroze at the prestigious Hotel Costes and La Grande Epicerie de Paris in 2012, Castel discovered breadmaking. He created his famous "pain du coin," made from a blend of flours, natural quince sourdough starter, honey, and Salish salt from the US Pacific Northwest. He also developed "the bread of yesterday and tomorrow," made from the day's unsold stock as part of an anti-waste initiative.

Castel frequently collaborates with artists, creating Yule logs, as their ideas are not technically limited, pushing the team to explore new possibilities. Alongside his daughter Margot, he is set to open a new venue in Paris in September, a hybrid space combining a cafe, restaurant, and bakery-patisserie. Today, Castel considers himself not only a pastry chef but also a cook, gardener, and baker. He concludes, "But above all else, I'm a pastry chef."