Pierre Herme

If there is a genius in pastry arts, his name would be Pierre Herme. A Vogue food critic dubbed him as "the Pablo Picasso of Pastry" for mastering all the classic French pastries and breaking all the rules to create and combine flavors and textures that most people would not even think of pairing. Not only did he work at the great institution called Fauchon, he later moved to Laduree.

After his stint there, he went off to open his own patisserie. Of all his creations, I guess the french macarons have received the most publicitiy. He has dozens and dozens of flavors like rose, chocolate, pistachio just to name a few. It is reputably the BEST (although Fauchon/Laduree fans would disagree). I want to go to Paris to visit the museums and go to the 3 establishments. After that, I can go back to Manila satisfied. I don't want to see the sights...Ok fine, I want to go to Versailles because of the whole Marie Antoinette and the movie posters show classic french pastries (and I think I even saw a macaron there somewhere). Of course I also want to try the Rose Ispahan which mixes the flavors of rose, raspberries and lychee.

However, the idea of going to France or even enrolling at the Le Cordon Bleu doesn't seem like a reachable dream this year. So I will settle for going to Pierre Herme in New York - hehehe. Okay I might sound weird here again...but Pierre was born in Alsace.... as in Alsace LORRAINE. hahaha! To think my brother would tease me about being named after that place known for their dogs (the German Shepherd Dog or Alsatian comes from Alsace, the border between France and Germany). What my dear brother doesn't know is that Alsace Lorraine is also known for its many top knotch restaurants! And now they are also known for being the birthplace of Pierre Herme!!!