The warm scent of fresh bread fills the air at one of Benoît Castel’s Paris patisseries, where the newly crowned world’s best pastry chef continues to test new recipes. Despite his global recognition, Castel remains focused on his daily clientele, stating that his ongoing mission is to be the world champion every day in his shop for his customers. Operating several establishments in the French capital, his guiding philosophy has always remained simple: “It’s all about the product.”
Castel recently received the prestigious UIBC award on July 14th in Singapore. The annual award honors a leading figure in the profession for their career and contributions to the trade. His victory comes three years after another French pastry chef, Nina Metayer, was crowned champion. For Castel, who hails from Brittany in western France, the responsibility of his craft is profound. He notes that the profession is no trivial matter because they make things that people put into their bodies every day.
At his shops, the glass display cases feature an array of blueberry and raspberry tartlets, cherry clafoutis, and vanilla flans. However, his chocolate choux pastry remains the undisputed best-seller, with Castel joking that customers would protest if they stopped making it. Each of his pastries is decorated with a small, scalloped sablé biscuit as a tribute to his home region of Brittany, intentionally eschewing artificial coloring or gold and silver leaf. Furthermore, the fruits and vegetables used in his creations are delivered directly from his own orchards and vegetable gardens in Brittany. This connection to the land is deep-seated; as the grandson of farmers, Castel grew up watching his grandparents make their own butter, and he recalls that his mother and grandmother cooked “divinely well.”
His culinary journey began early. Castel wanted to be a chef from the age of seven, which is when he received his first recipe book. His path was firmly set three years later during a dinner where he watched a pastry chef spin a sugar model of the famous Loire valley Chateau de Chambord. Today, dressed in his white chef’s jacket embroidered with his name, he collaborates closely with his head baker, Romain Montbabut. The two regularly test new recipes, such as tasting freshly made sourdough prepared with flour milled a few months prior. Montbabut, who has worked with Castel for six years, describes him as demanding and perfectionist, but also notes that he works alongside his staff every day and loves to pass on his skills.
Castel’s career includes stints working with chef Helène Darroze, at the prestigious Hotel Costes, and at La Grande Epicerie de Paris. When he set out on his own in 2012, he discovered the art of breadmaking. As a novice in the field, he created his famous “pain du coin,” a bread crafted from a variety of flours, natural quince sourdough starter, honey, and Salish salt sourced from the US Pacific Northwest. He later developed “the bread of yesterday and tomorrow,” an anti-waste initiative made from the previous day’s unsold stock. Castel also seeks creative inspiration by collaborating with artists to design the traditional Christmas Bûche de Noël, noting that because artists are not technically limited in their ideas, they push his team to try new things.
Looking ahead, Castel is preparing to open a new venue in Paris this September alongside his daughter, Margot. The upcoming space will blend a café, a restaurant, and a bakery-patisserie. "These days, I'm as much a cook, a gardener and a baker as I am a pastry chef," he said. "But above all else, I'm a pastry chef."
