Pierre Hermé (; born 20 November 1961) is a French
pastry chef and
chocolatier. He began his career at the age of 14 as an apprentice to
Gaston Lenôtre
Gaston Lenôtre (, born 28 May 1920, died 8 January 2009) was a French pastry chef. He is known as a possible creator of the opera cake (''gâteau opéra''), the founder of Lenôtre a culinary empire, whose brand includes restaurants, catering se ...
. Hermé was awarded the title of World's Best Pastry Chef in 2016 by
The World's 50 Best Restaurants. He was also ranked the fourth most influential French person in the world by ''
Vanity Fair''. Hermé created his own brand in 1998 with Charles Znaty.
Life and career

Heir to four generations of Alsatian bakery and pastry-making tradition, Pierre Hermé arrived in Paris at the age of 14 to start his first apprenticeship with
Gaston Lenôtre
Gaston Lenôtre (, born 28 May 1920, died 8 January 2009) was a French pastry chef. He is known as a possible creator of the opera cake (''gâteau opéra''), the founder of Lenôtre a culinary empire, whose brand includes restaurants, catering se ...
, called by ''Vogue'' "the Picasso of Pastry" and who revolutionized pastry-making with regard to taste and modernity.
He created the Maison Pierre Hermé Paris in 1998 with his associate Charles Znaty. The first Pierre Hermé Paris boutique opened in Tokyo in 1998, followed in 2001 by a boutique in Paris, located in the fashion district of
Saint-Germain-des-Prés at 72 rue Bonaparte. Success was immediate in Tokyo and Paris alike. Every day, enthusiastic gourmets discovered Pierre Hermé pastries,
macarons and chocolates while connaisseures from around the world flocked to these temples of sweet delights. In late 2004, a second Parisian boutique with its very innovative interior design opened at 185 rue de Vaugirard. In early 2005, Tokyo saw the inauguration of the latest Pierre Hermé Paris concepts: the Luxury Convenience Store and the Chocolate Bar. Both establishments are situated in the
Omotesando district, where all of the major imported brands and fashion houses active in Japan are also present. In 2008, Pierre Hermé and Charles Znaty launched the first Macarons & Chocolats Pierre Hermé Paris boutique on rue Cambon in Paris. In 2010, they inaugurated the Maison Pierre Hermé on rue Fortuny in Paris, home to the Atelier de Création. The brand is a member of the
Comité Colbert
The Comité Colbert is an association "to promote the concept of luxury." The members are 81 French luxury brands. It was founded in 1954 by Jean-Jacques Guerlain.
''Métiers'' or Trade Sectors
The association is divided into thirteen métiers o ...
and has an established partnership with the Raffles group and Ritz Carlton group and Dior since the opening of the Café Dior by Pierre Hermé in 2015 in Seoul.
The company has been expanding strongly since 2010 on the international scene with several boutiques located in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Since 2012, his desserts have been served on
All Nippon Airways
, also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had m ...
.
Creative Style & Praise

Preferring discreet pastry decors and "uses sugar like salt, in other words, as a seasoning to heighten other shades of flavour" and refusing to sit on his laurels, he is always revising his own work, exploring new taste territories and revisiting his own recipes. As a result, praise has often been lavished on Pierre Hermé, who has been called "pastry provocateur" (''Food & Wine''), "an avant-garde pastry chef and a magician with tastes" (''Paris-Matc''h), "The Kitchen Emperor" (''New York Times'') and "The King of Modern Patisserie" (''The Guardian''), along with honours and decorations, as well as – most importantly – the admiring gratitude of connoisseurs of gourmet sweets.

Hermé was the youngest person to be named France's Pastry Chef of the Year, and is the only pastry chef to have been decorated as a
Chevalier of Arts and Letters. He was awarded ''
Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur'' by
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as ...
in May 2007.
Books
* Pierre Hermé, ''Secrets Gourmands'', Larousse, 1993
* ''La Pâtisserie de Pierre Hermé'', Montagud Editores, Espagne, 1994
* Coauteur ''Larousse Gastronomique'', 1996
* ''Le Larousse des Desserts de Pierre Hermé'', Larousse, 1997
* ''Plaisirs Sucrés'', Hachette, 1997
* ''Desserts by Pierre Hermé'', Little Brown, USA, 1998
* Pierre Hermé, ''Secrets Gourmands'', Shibata Shoten, Japon, 1999
* ''Desserts à la carte'', Hachette, 2000
* Pierre Hermé, ''Secrets Gourmands'', Noésis, 2000
* ''La Pâtisserie de Pierre Hermé'', Edizioni Finedit, Italie, 2001
* ''Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé'', Little Brown, USA, 2001
* ''Le Larousse des Desserts'', Larousse, 2002
* ''Plaisirs Sucrés'' (réédition), Hachette, octobre 2002
* ''Mes Desserts au Chocolat'', Agnès Viénot Éditions, octobre 2002
* ''Mes Desserts Préférés'', Agnès Viénot Éditions, octobre 2003
* ''Die Pâtisserie Von Pierre Hermé'', Mathaes, Allemagne, 2004
* ''Le Larousse du Chocolat'', Éditions Larousse, octobre 2005
* "The Cooks Book", Dorling Kindersley, UK, octobre 2005
* ''PH10'', Agnès Vienot Éditions, octobre 2005. Vainqueur des
Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
* ''Gourmandises'', Agnès Vienot Éditions, octobre 2006
* Coauteur ''Comme un chef'', Éditions Larousse, octobre 2006
* Gourmandises, Agnès Viénot, Éditions, 2006
* ''Le Larousse des desserts'', Larousse, 2006
* ''Confidences Sucrées'', Agnès Viénot Éditions, 2007
* ''Macaron'', Agnès Viénot Édition, 2008
* Le Larousse des Desserts, Dohosha Media Plan, 2008
* Le livre des Fours secs et moelleux de Pierre Hermé, Asahiya Shuppan, 2009
* ''Carrément Chocolat'', Agnès Viénot Édition, 2009
* ''Infiniment'', Agnès Viénot Édition, 2010
* Le Livre Chocolat de Pierre Hermé, Asahiya Shuppan, 2010
* ''Rêves de pâtissier : 50 classiques de la pâtisserie réinventés'', Éditions de la Martinière, octobre 2011
* ''Best of Pierre Hermé'', Alain Ducasse Édition, novembre 2011
* Macarons, Grub Street Publishing, United Kingdom, 2011
* Le Livre des Viennoiseries de Pierre Hermé, Asahiya Shuppan, 2011
* ''Au Cœur du Goût'', coauteurs : Jean-Michel Duriez, Agnès Viénot Editions, 2012
* Le Chocolat Apprivoisé, PHP Editions, 2013
* Ispahan, Edition de la Martinière, 2013
* ''Pierre Hermé et moi'' (Illustré par
Soledad Bravi
Soledad, Spanish for "solitude", often refers to María de la Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude),
a variant name of Mary the mother of Jesus in Roman Catholic tradition.
Soledad may refer to:
People
* Chalon people or Soledad, a Native American peop ...
), Édition Marabout, Avril 2014
* ''Macaron'', Éditions de la Martinière, Octobre 2014
* Satine, Editions Grund, 2015
* Chocolat, Pierre Hermé & Sergio Coimbra, Flammarion 2016
References
External links
Official websitePierre Herme ArticleCannes Dessert Prize Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herme, Pierre
1961 births
French chefs
Pastry chefs
People from Colmar
Living people
Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres