The world’s best pastry chef is French!

Jessica Préalpato is the first woman to be recognized as the world’s top patissière. She is known for her concept of natural desserts that use cooked fruits—without the mousse, without the cream, and without the sugar. She is the first to admit that her desserts are not necessarily beautiful, but each creation requires an immense amount of work.

After earning her secondary-school diploma in literature, Préalpato began her postsecondary studies in psychology before enrolling at a hotel school in Biarritz, where, in 2008, she earned a technical certificate (BTS) in preparing restaurant desserts. She then trained in several restaurants. Since 2015, she has been pastry chef at the Plaza Athénée, Alain Ducasse’s renowned three-star Paris restaurant. 

In 2018, another French woman, Christelle Brua, earned the prestigious distinction of “best restaurant pastry chef” from Les Grandes Tables du Monde. Brua is pastry chef at the three-star Pré Catalan in Paris.

France, world champion in culinary training

If the culinary arts and restaurant management interest you, French higher education offers a vast array of training options. You can enter at any level (secondary, bachelor, master) and choose from a wide variety of institutions, from professional/vocational programs in secondary schools to hotel and culinary schools and specialized institutes. All of the options are laid out in Campus France’s profile of programs in gastronomy and the culinary arts. International students are warmly welcomed. Many thousands have already made the choice to learn to cook à la française.