"From public service to the service of taste": the story of a former railway worker turned pastry chef

In his book "Des trains au vacherin", Pascal Guglielmi shares the story of his conversion. Leaving the rails behind, he now runs La Pâtisserie des Marseillais, a must-visit address in the Old Port.

Camille Ordonneau Published today at 4:44 PM

Although Pascal Guglielmi grew up in the family patisserie, it was to a career as a railwayman that the young Bordelais turned, following the example of his mother who became a railwayman after the closure of the family business.

During his fourteen years as a ticket inspector, he never lost his taste for pastry-making. With a CAP in his pocket, he resigned as soon as an opportunity presented itself, and joined the Bellouet school in Paris. Working alongside Jean-Michel Perruchon, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and future mentor, he honed his technique before joining the Stohrer patisserie on an internship. However, his career path was held back by the health crisis. Unemployed, he confined himself to Marseille. However, this difficult period enabled him to develop a new project: opening his own store.

The opening of his Marseilles patisserie

In May 2021, La Pâtisserie des Marseillais opened in the 2ᵉ arrondissement of Marseille. Here, Pascal's customers discover refined desserts inspired by destinations that take the taste buds on a journey. For example, the vanilla-caramel tartelette Saint-Martin-de-Ré and the Palm Springs pistachio-mango entremets rub shoulders with Kyoto, a raspberry and lychee creation.

After four years in the business, the ex-cheminot hasn't forgotten his former profession: " For two years now, I've been offering a log in the shape of a train at Christmas. it makes the customers laugh a lot. In a way, I've gone from public service to taste 'service'. "

So as not to forget anything about his career, Pascal set about writing a book while in confinement. "I had no intention of publishing it. it just seemed crazy to be born in a pastry shop, to have been a railway worker, and then to return to pastry-making," he confides. Today, the pastry chef hopes that his testimonial "Des trains au vacherin" - self-published and available online and in his store - will inspire others.