Christophe Michalak
Heavenly sins…
By Laurent Feneau

Still waters run deep. You just have to say " chocolate " or " toffee " to make his eyes light up and to see him overwhelmed by the idea of sweet things. Portrait of Christophe Michalak as the living legend of the confectionary world …

"The supreme ace" of pastry chefs, the " Rambo " of the world of chocolate, the " Bruce Lee " of eggs, the " Wizard of Oz " of cream… Every superlative has already been used when discussing the talent of Christophe Michalak, head pastry chef at the Paris Plaza Athénée. After his arrival at avenue Montaigne in 2000 and having been hailed as the World's Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2005, the super hero in his white chef's hat continues to brandish his magical éclairs. The inspiration of a genius with the energy of a titan for a solid gold career. From London to Tokyo via New York, the future master pastry chef's training has all the look of a trip around the world. However, the decisive meeting took place in Paris. With Pierre Hermé at Fauchon. There, he observed, listened and, above all, learned: never follow or copy but always arouse, invent, initiate. And, above all, dream!
Because, if you look closely, Christophe is somewhere else and comes from another place. From far, very far away … In his eyes, you can see a whole galaxy of good things. His way tends to be the chocolate way rather than the Milky Way. If you want to explore this universe, you need to land on the planet Michalak with its soil rich in cocoa. You can imagine a bright sun warming these fragrant landscapes with its generous rays of honey. There is no doubt that he grew up here and not in Picardie. Pretending to be Superman - "a childhood dream " stated the chef - of being teleported towards this distant but so bright star: the Plaza star.

The chocolate Odyssey
Plaza 2000. A real odyssey. Having reached his destination, Christophe continues to dream. Indeed, he often mentions the taste sensations that he was able to discover during his sugar-coated youth, somewhere else … It certainly takes us back to those irresistible Bisounours, a combination of marshmallow and milk chocolate. An extreme chocolate-flavoured flash-back, the true essence of childhood but also an extraordinary journey through time!
Regardless of his achievements, this super pastry chef remains faithful to his simplicity mantra. He revisits the grand classics of the pastry world, but never forgetting to set aside a few moments to indulge in total fantasy. Taking advantage of the carte blanche he has been given by Alain Ducasse, he innovates, surprises and distils his sweets to produce so many magical potions as when he created his multi-vitamin exotic fruit macaroons. And beyond, whether temperate of excessive, his creations continue to be motivated by one single aim: finding the perfect flavour. A virtually mystic quest, a sort of chocolate Grail … For Christophe, flavour is like "the ultimate sensation of pleasure". In the Plaza kitchens, flavours focus preferably on extremely epicurean or even cheeky notes … As far as he is concerned, there are "three ways of reaching an orgasm: love, extreme sport and flavour ". We understand: Christophe is ready to try anything. And even "to go for bust to stir up this career of pleasure". And that is how he produces creations that are so … original. Logs that are so " avenue Montaigne " in the shape of a label handbag, pineapple flavoured " bimbo " religieuse or one with sugared almonds and wild strawberries or even aphrodisiac profiteroles with a banana-chocolate lollipop and ginger ice cream …

A sugary sketch!
"The Goldorak of cakes? That suits me as a description! ". Provocative, yes. But in a good cause. A chef must never be afraid of anything if he wants to surprise. For example, his - not very catholic - religieuse is one of his most famous recipes. "I've worked hard to make this an elegant product. I have replaced it on this winter's menu with a hat made of Gianduja. I was aiming for a Religieuse that would be both highly respectable as well as sexy, but reminiscent of the "thirties decade". It may seem a bit fanciful but, however, I always keep to the blueprint".
The technique remains unchanged regardless of the dessert. "The creativity stages are always the same. Using one flavour and a maximum of two, perfecting the dessert's texture and ending with the final shaping of the product ". What else? Visually showing off the pastry creation. " This is extremely important because, as part of the tasting process ", explains Christophe, "vision plays a great part in exciting desire ". And he goes on, "a pastry has visual elegance and olfactory elegance, two ways of seducing the palate and the heart of the guest. For me, cooking is like wooing somebody. I have the soul of a seducer and pastry is just another means of seduction".
Here again, beware! This gentle Casanova can sometimes transform into a dangerous fighter capable of giving out pralines in the same mass production way as we offer sweets.
"Sport has taught me to aim for the essential. I have practiced many martial arts, achieving excellent levels in terms of gestures. My bouts were extremely impressive but they were never properly finished off and so, I always ended up on the mat. This taught me that shape and content are always closely linked". It's what is called striking a major blow for pastry making.

The (g)astronomic big bang
Christophe has a secret weapon that allows him to avoid culinary KOs. A library on good eating comprising thousands of books that he has been collecting for twenty years. " At the outset, I was unaware of the technique I needed in order to ply my trade. So, from the age of 16, I started buying books and magazines. For instance, I now have all the recipes for chocolate mousse in the whole wide world. I have tried and memorised them all. It's a sort of living memory that I supplement, of course, with a computer on which I have stored over 3,000 recipes… ".
Extra-terrestrial or Psycho-pâte? Just a sensitive and passionate young man who doesn't hesitate - on top of his duties at the Plaza - to support meetings between pastry chefs who share the same obsession. Accordingly, the " Les sucrés " association was born a few years ago. It currently comprises the cream of continental France's pastry chefs. "Each joins with his recipe and his achievements and, obviously, gives of his best. We then discuss techniques and processes. At the same time, we have already set up exchanges with the pastry teams at the Crillon, the Ritz and the Hyatt ".
For a long time a section that has been marginalised, considered as a gastronomic sub-category, could pastry making not be taking its revenge on cuisine? "Having been disdained, we are compelled to acknowledge that the outstanding chefs of today such as Thierry Marx, Alexandre Bourdas and clearly Jean-François Piège, are ex pastry chefs ", confirmed Christophe…
If it is only a short step from pastry making to the kitchen, the reverse could also soon apply. Planet Michalak is expanding and acquiring a few new satellites. " I have three projects in Paris. They won't be shops but just places where salty-sweet sensations can be shared". After the revenge, reconciliation? In any case, we are only asking to share the cake.

Chinese portrait
" If you were … "
...a painter
Dali
...a colour
Red
...a picture
One of Picasso's cubist works
...an exhibition venue
The Bilbao museum
...an art movement
Constructivism
...a town of art
Prague
...a recent architectural creation
The Lyon Satolas railway station
...a major couturier
Thierry Mugler

Top