- Story by Gail Johnson Photography by Lia Crowe
Macarons, brioche, financiers and sabl茅s: these are a few of the exquisite treats on display, like so many pieces of art or jewellery, in cases imported from France that were specifically designed to showcase chocolates and pastries in the new Thierry Caf茅 in Vancouver鈥檚 Mount Pleasant.
French-raised master chocolatier and p芒tissier Thierry Busset has trained and worked with some of the globe鈥檚 top culinary talents, earning respect as a pastry chef the world over. None other than Gordon Ramsay, a former colleague, once called him 鈥渙ne of the finest pastry chefs in the world.鈥�
Now, Thierry is settling into his new home, the 2,000-square-foot caf茅 and 4,000-square-foot production space at Main and Kingsway. Here, he honours his roots with all things buttery, chocolaty, flaky and finely crafted.
It all started in Auvergne, France, where Thierry learned to cook by his mother鈥檚 side.
鈥淲e grew up with plenty of food around us,鈥� he recalls. 鈥淢y mother always cooked for us. Every time we went to school, we came home for lunch. Cooking was all around me, and she encouraged me.鈥�
Throughout his career, Thierry has taken on roles at several prestigious Relais & Chateaux properties and Michelin-star restaurants like London鈥檚 Le Gavroche, where he worked with the late Albert Roux and Michel Roux Jr.
What skills he didn鈥檛 learn in one pastry kitchen he would set out to pick up in the next, acquiring time-honoured techniques such as how to make p芒te de fruits and nougats. During mandatory military service, he made pastry for the French government. He has also worked in a ski resort in the south of France and on an island in the French Caribbean.
On a recommendation from Ramsay (whom Thierry knew pre-Hell鈥檚 Kitchen and four-letter-worded fame), he spent several years working with legendary chef Marco Pierre White, helping elevate his London restaurant from two Michelin stars to three.
鈥淭he pressure is not to get the three stars but to keep it,鈥� he says. 鈥淎t a Michelin-star restaurant, you learn service. You have to be perfect, and you have to be fast and organized. It鈥檚 very great training.鈥�
One of his day-to-day tasks at Marco Pierre White was to dip chocolate by hand. Even now, at his sophisticated, airy new digs鈥攚here he has access to chocolate tempering equipment and a chocolate cooling tunnel, along with temperature-controlled storage, test kitchens and packaging rooms鈥攈e prefers doing much of the dipping by hand rather than by machine.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a more natural technique, and it鈥檚 good to learn if the machine ever breaks,鈥� he says. 鈥淔or all the people who work for me, it鈥檚 good for them to learn it.鈥�
The travel bug brought him to Vancouver, and he fell in love with his surroundings. He joined Toptable Group, first working at West before heading the pastry program at CinCin Ristorante.
The second location of Thierry comes almost a decade after the first on Alberni Street. Like its downtown counterpart, the elegant East Vancouver outpost boasts the group鈥檚 trademark palm wood doors.
In each location, these doors open to the aromas of France, from freshly baked croissants to all sorts of ganache chocolates. Made of milk and dark and white chocolate, the artful pieces contain ingredients such as gin, Quebec maple syrup, shaved tonka beans, coconut pulp and raspberry liqueur. Macarons, in the colours of a Monet garden, are regularly offered with different flavours, from cassis to salted caramel.
Among Thierry鈥檚 signature desserts is the gold-leaf-adorned chocolate marquise: the rich, dense cake comprises hazelnut dacquoise, salted caramel, crisp praline and chocolate mousse. It鈥檚 a showstopper that his wife concocted with him. (The couple has three children together, ranging in age from seven to 12.) If it鈥檚 chocolate you鈥檙e craving but can鈥檛 make up your mind, the chocolate trio is for you; it鈥檚 a chocolate sponge cake layered with white, dark and milk chocolate mousse. The pretty passionfruit cake is especially popular, bright and refreshing with elegant miniature pink macarons dotting the bottom of a mound of passionfruit mousse with white genoise, all topped passionfruit gel茅e.
The caf茅 also offers savoury items such as quiche Lorraine with thick-cut bacon, organic vegetable quiche, a variety of croissants (including croissant au jambon) and more, with sandwiches coming soon.
Thierry loves the idea of coming in for a petit four with Thierry Caf茅鈥檚 signature coffee鈥攁 special blend made in collaboration with 49th Parallel. Except that he鈥檒l be having something savoury: 鈥淚鈥檝e been doing pastry for 36 years,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 like to cook for family and friends, but I don鈥檛 eat pastry except to test it.鈥�
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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