'Sugar is life': Behind the scenes at Paris' oldest patisserie

Founded over 300 years ago by Nicolas Stohrer, former pastry chef to Louis XV, the patisserie remains a celebrated institution on rue Montorgueil.

Transcript

00:00🎵

00:23Nicolas Thoreau was the pastry chef of Louis XV.

00:28He was serving the king and all the court in Versailles.

00:31He was doing all the banquet and all the big parties for the king.

00:36The king really loved him, but after several years in Versailles,

00:40he decided to open his own shop in Rue Montorgueil in 1730, where we are today.

00:46🎵

00:57We have about a dozen pastries.

00:59In the shop, we find strawberry pie, raspberry pie, passion pie and lemon pie.

01:05But generally, we are on seasonal products.

01:07Like now, this is the period when we tried to release the pistachio pie,

01:12but it will disappear in a few months and it will be replaced by apricot pie or Bourdalou pie.

01:17🎵

01:24The art of the baba, you have to know that you still have to adapt to master the gesture.

01:29The fact of putting it in shape is a certain stroke of hand that you have to have.

01:34Generally, after two months or three months,

01:37a person can master the art of the baba if he is well seated.

01:42🎵

01:45Success is life, it is happiness.

01:47It brings back the joy of living, a certain satiety, but we really never get bored.

01:52🎵