Depending on whether you're speaking to a pastry chef or a baker, the term is different. Chefs say 'charcuterie pâtissière,' while pastry chefs use 'pâtisserie charcutière.' The anecdote is quite fitting when you know that these two professions have been at odds since the Middle Ages, when the term first appeared alongside the codification of the profession. At that time, pastry chefs were divided into two distinct categories: 'oubloyeurs' who made hostias, wafers, and light pastries, and 'pâtissiers,' who specialized in dough and pastry enclosures, making meat, cheese, and fish pies. Pâté en croûte was their main specialty, according to historical records. Later, in the 16th century, they would come together within the 'pain d’épicier' guild. In contemporary history, it is accepted that butchers and charcutiers offer a variety of meats and charcuterie, bakers and pastry chefs provide bread and cakes, and caterers and restaurateurs offer cuisine. However, as you will read in this review, as the profession of baker-pastry chef increasingly resembles that of a restaurateur, savory pastries are making a comeback in bakeries. History is but an endless cycle of repetition.
Cooked Bakery
Pâtés en croûte, brioche sausages, flamiches, vol-au-vent, bouchées à la reine, and puff pastries are part of the classic repertoire of charcutier-traiteurs. Once considered outdated or neglected for a few decades, these charcuterie pastries are now in vogue alongside hot sandwiches like hot dogs or paninis, offered in bakeries with a cooked lunch option that isn't just salads, pizzas, or sandwiches. Some bakeries even take the concept further, like Mamiche, which opened a third bakery oriented towards catering in Paris after its two existing bakeries. Quiches, puff pastries, sausage rolls, seasonal tarts and pies, all 100% homemade, complete this new offering of savory, relaxed, conscious, and comforting bakery cuisine.
At Mamiche Traiteur, the day begins with breakfast, kicking off a variety of dining moments throughout the day. Starting with a playful Mac Mamiche, an egg muffin with bacon. For lunch, you can enjoy sandwiches in mini or large sizes, made with country bread or focaccia baked on-site, or a salad featuring quality products like authentic Prince de Paris ham or their famous sausage roll with grilled fennel and sausage. On weekends, they prepare hearty family dishes (lasagna, shareable plates) that harken back to the days of local caterers and neighborhood shops, professions that are becoming rare.
Baker’s cuisine
Chefs are also interested in this patisserie and bakery approach to dining. Yannick Delpech, head of the restaurant Des Roses et Des Orties in Colomiers (31), opened his charcuterie patisserie, Melsat, in Toulouse in 2021. Pies, pâtés en croûte, and puff pastries are among the specialties of the place. In the Lyon area, Matthieu Viannay, a two-star Michelin chef and MOF, has opened Épiceries-comptoirs (grocery counters) of his restaurant La Mère Brazier, a local food institution. The establishment serves as a bakery with its Brazier baguette and special sourdough breads, as well as a charcuterie, creamery, patisserie, and wine cellar. This innovation harks back to the history of the house: the épicerie-comptoir pays tribute to the "porte-pot" (a small bistro), the first table dating from 1921 established by Eugénie Brazier, the first woman to be awarded three Michelin stars. This project was led by the new owner of the illustrious house since 2008, along with Gilles Demange, founder of the World Pâté-Crust Championship. This annual competition, held since 2009, has contributed to the revival of pâtisserie charcutière, a living heritage of French tradition and know-how, in bakery showcases, aligning closely with the bakery's image.
Frédéric Leguen-Geffroy, chef at the Parisian restaurant Club 90, which serves as a club for the Federation of National Public Works (FNTP), and the 2023 World Pâté-Crust Champion on his third attempt, greatly enjoys exploring his passion in a sweet version. "I've been making pâté en croûte at a high level for six years and organizing monthly pâté en croûte workshops; it's a real passion, I make it whenever I can or want. It’s relaxing," he confides. During the sessions, he works with a meat pâté, another with fish or vegetables, and a sweet one. Thus, Frédéric Leguen-Geffroy has crafted pâtés en croûte (he's Breton, so he says "en croûte") in the style of poire belle-hélène, with pistachio and fig confit, with four spices, or with apple, pear, poached quince in mulled wine, and orange insert.
Another inspiring model is Baston in Bordeaux. "A bakery within a restaurant," with a striking yellow facade, opened in May 2021 by Pauline Celle and Julien Borie, who made a career change and started from scratch in their late twenties. She bakes in her small lab, and he cooks. She kneads about 60 to 70 kilos of dough daily (with a maximum capacity of 100 kilos), which is used to shape between 35 and 50 loaves for the restaurant, a few professionals, and a rapidly loyal clientele, enthusiastic about the concept. "When it's gone, it's gone," she smiles. Although some weeks are very intense and challenging, they enjoy what they do. Pauline says, "Baston is designed as a balance: good productivity for the business; a pleasant rhythm for us and for the people who eat here. We only have one lunch service: people don't rush."
Three factors promise a bright future for current and future bakers-caterers-pastry chefs: they hold invaluable traditional know-how that they pass on by showcasing regional products; the quest for quality and trustworthy products by consumers who are aware of their expertise and seek authentic flavors from carefully selected ingredients; and the opportunity to reach a broader audience with their high-quality creations in supermarkets, which are now strategically inclined to stock artisanal products. It is the customer who demands it. And the customer, who remains constant, is king.
