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The shop is in the new retail development on Matakana Valley Road, which opens this month, and will sell an expanded range of goods from Christian’s renowned Bonjour Patisserie catering company.
But, Christian says the real reason he is opening La Patisserie is to give him more time to make cakes.
“Cakes are my passion,” Christian says. “I want to sell a range of about 15 different mini-cakes from the patisserie. I enjoy making pastries and breads, but with cakes you can really get creative. The flavours and styles are endless. It becomes a kind of self-expression.”
Christian’s fixation with baking started when he was six years old, when he made his first cake with his father, while growing up in the Republic of the Congo.
“It was a caramel-cream cake. He didn’t cook often, but he would make that cake twice a month. Since then I’ve been hooked.”
He started working at his grandmother’s bakery for pocket money during school holidays, before moving to Paris to study at the prestigious Paris School of Patisserie and begin his career in the mixing bowl.
Twenty-five years on, and Christian says his passion for baking hasn’t ebbed.
“I think it’s the most important trait of a great baker. You can be talented, but you have to have the passion to make the perfect cake.”
He says there is a growing appetite for pastries in NZ, as people venture outside the custard square.
To meet the increasing demand, Christian is expanding to cater for businesses as far afield as Silverdale and Whangarei and hiring more staff.
La Patisserie will open six days a week from December 20.
