Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F. (born 1968) is a French pastry chef and co-founder of the

French Pastry School The French Pastry School (FPS) is a vocational secondary school located in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Its courses cover pastry, baking and confectionery arts. The French Pastry School is a for-profit school,Ben Goldberger“New Chef ...

in Chicago, the Butter Book online platform, and EQUII. In 2004, he earned the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France. In 2012, he was named a knight by the French government in the Order of Academic Palms, and in 2015, in the National Order of the Legion of Honour.Janet Rausa Fuller
"Chicago Pastry Chef Sebastien Canonne Wins France's Top Award,"
DNAinfo Chicago, September 15, 2015.

Early life and education

Canonne was born and raised in

Normandy, France Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

.Erik Unger
"Sebastien Canonne,"
'' Crain's Chicago Business'', November 3, 2007. His training began at the Culinary School of Rouen in Normandy when he was 15.William Rice
"Prince Of Pastry,"
''Chicago Tribune'', June 11, 1995. He had a culinary apprenticeship at the School of Hospitality and Hotel Management in Rouen, Normandy, followed by a pastry apprenticeship under chef Gaston Lenôtre."Dessert Professional’s Top Ten Pastry Chefs in North America 2015,"
''Dessert Professional'', August 24, 2015.

Career

Canonne has worked at a variety of fine-dining restaurants and luxury hotels, including three-star

Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...

restaurants; the Pré Catelan in Paris and the Côte Saint Jacques in Burgundy, France; the Beau-Rivage Palace in Geneva; the Euler Palace Hotel in Basel, Switzerland; and the

Palais de l'Elysée Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace **Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées **Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River in t ...

in Paris for French president

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

. He moved to the United States in 1991, becoming the executive pastry chef at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Chicago.Rick Bayless
"The Honor Roll,"
''Chicago Tribune'', October 18, 2000. In 2004, Canonne earned the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France, the highest distinction for an artisan in France. The title is determined through a contest held once every three to four years. He was the first pastry chef living in the United States to be awarded the honor.Ben Goldberger
"New Chef Will Help Pastry Level to Rise,"
'' New York Times'', February 6, 2010. From 1995 to 2020, chefs Sébastien Canonne and fellow master pastry chef

Jacquy Pfeiffer Jacquy Pfeiffer (born 1961)Judy Hevrdejs"Perfecting pastry,"''Chicago Tribune'', December 11, 2013. is a French master pastry chef and teacher. He co-founded the French Pastry School in Chicago, and co-authored ''The Art of French Pastry'' cookbo ...

founded and operated the

in Chicago, Illinois, a vocational secondary school to teach traditional French pastry making. It was the only school in the United States dedicated entirely to the art of pastry. In 2012, Canonne was knighted in the

Order of the Academic Palms Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

, recognizing outstanding merit and contributions in education. In 2015, Canonne was knighted in the Order of the Legion of Honour, recognizing outstanding merit and contributions to French culture. In 2020, Cannone launched an online video series of classes called The Butter Book. In 2021, Canonne launched with Bridor, “The Pains Cuisinés”. In 2022, Canonne and several partners co-founded EQUII, a food technology company. The company produces high-protein, low-carbohydrate flour.

Film and television appearances

Canonne is featured in the 2009 documentary film '' Kings of Pastry'', directed by

D.A. Pennebaker Donn Alan Pennebaker (; July 15, 1925 – August 1, 2019) was an American documentary filmmaker and one of the pioneers of direct cinema. Performing arts and politics were his primary subjects. In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sc ...

and

Chris Hegedus Chris Hegedus (born April 23, 1952) is an American documentary filmmaker. She and her husband, filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker, founded the company Pennebaker Hegedus Films. Hegedus was nominated for an Academy Award for ''The War Room'', a behind-th ...

, which documented

's attempt to earn the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France. Canonne served as Pfeiffer's coach in the competition. Canonne was a mentor and judge on season 2 of '' Top Chef: Just Desserts'' in 2011.Doug Quint and Bryan Petroff
"Top Chef Just Desserts, Season 2, Episode 10: The Finale,"
Eater.com, October 27, 2011.

References

External links

Biography

The Butter Book

Bridor

EQUII
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canonne, Sebastien 1968 births Living people Pastry chefs French chefs Founders of American schools and colleges Businesspeople from Rouen Chefs from Chicago Knights of the Legion of Honour Educators from Illinois