Jérémy Delval X Nicolas Poirier: a pastry chef, a designer, a collab
To continue our series of gourmet conversations, Gault&Millau meets Jérémy Del Val, executive pastry chef at Maison Dalloyau, and designer Nicolas Poirier, aka Bishop Parigo.
A new canvas of expression for Nicolas Poirier aka Bishop Parigo, Dalloyau's signature Opera. Together with Jérémy Del Val, Dalloyau's Executive Pastry Chef and French Dessert Champion, they have imagined a joyful Opera that puts a smile on everyone's face! For the occasion, the frosting is colored, but the recipe remains unchanged. A pop and urban universe, the cake combines art and tradition in a new interpretation of the illustrator's urban frescoes.
A sweet conversation in which we discover French patisserie in a new light.
How did the meeting come about?
Jérémy Del Val: I met Nicolas Poirier in 2021. We had already worked together on the Christmas collection. So it was natural for me to call on him again. The Opéra is the only pastry for which we haven't changed the recipe; all the other creations of the House have been rethought. I wanted to bring something new to the Opéra, so we came up with the idea of modifying only the design on the icing.
Nicolas Poirier: It's the magic of social networking... Jérémy loves street art, and I love good food. We're part of the same universe, and we both attach great importance to the senses, to looking and touching. When we met, it was an obvious choice.
How did you go about imagining this collaboration?
J.D.: It was a simple, fluid collaboration. We try to give the artist as few constraints as possible, so that he can fully express his own style and desires. We simply asked Nicolas to incorporate the House colors of blue, white, red and bronze into his design. He then had carte blanche. For our part, we transformed the icing from dark chocolate to white chocolate to match the colors, and worked on the size of the design to fit the cut-out.
N.P.: We went back to the way we worked on a previous Christmas collection. We kept our respective worlds, and I simply used Dalloyau's colors to create my design. Being part of a brand and then giving free rein to your imagination brings together two different DNAs.
Collaboration: freedom or constraint?
J.D.: It depends on the collaboration and the spirit. But in most cases, the constraints are purely operational and technical. We keep a great deal of freedom on both sides for these duo creations.
N.P. : I'd say freedom, but above all sharing. First of all, you create something to share with others. That's what drives me in my work, to create and meet different people. Even when I'm painting a wall alone, people come and talk to me, children too, they give me their opinions, that's what I like. A collaboration is all this at once, a moment of sharing and openness. Birds are symbols of peace and freedom, but they also represent human beings. I draw them en masse, they represent the family, eyes wide open to grasp the world.
What do you gain from these collaborations?
J.D.: They allow us to discover other worlds, and help us to grow. Above all, they're human encounters. It's a way of sharing different worlds, colors, visions and know-how. Art and patisserie are very different, yet they are similar in many ways, such as inspiration and approach to creation. Collaborations are a source of inspiration. The box of macaroons is a case in point, as the two flavors were created with Nicolas' tastes in mind. Aquitaine peanut and Espelette chilli combined with the roundness of Madagascar vanilla!
N.P.: Collaboration means giving yourself challenges, coming up with ideas you wouldn't have had on your own, moving into new territory. You get out of your comfort zone. You have to adapt to each other. During the confinement, I became aware of what could be conveyed through the eyes alone. This is the work I'm continuing today. The birds I draw represent this sharing, the fact of being together, of looking at the world through the same eyes.
