The best millefeuille in France in 2026 costs just €5.20
With its rich, creamy filling and golden puff pastry, the millefeuille is a pastry icon. At the Duhamel bakery in Orgeval, Alexia Léard’s creation won first prize at the 2026 Master du Millefeuille competition.
A classic of French pastry, the millefeuille allows each artisan to incorporate their own little secret to stand out from the crowd. At 22, Alexia Léard just won first prize in the Millefeuille Master competition on October 3, 2026, at the Pâtiss'Art trade show in Paris. Her winning recipe: a puff pastry baked through to the center and a smooth, vanilla-scented cream.
Held at the Espace Étoile Saint-Honoré in Paris’s 8th arrondissement, this annual event brings together professionals for a series of competitions. Chaired by Dominique Anract, the National Confederation of French Bakers and Pastry Chefs highlights the technical expertise involved in making puff pastry—from folding the dough to achieving thin, even, and perfectly crisp layers. This time, the 2026 Best Millefeuille in France can be sampled at the Duhamel bakery and pastry shop in Orgeval.
A calling born in the family kitchen
She inherited her love for a job well done from her father. A waiter by trade, he enjoyed cooking at home, and it was by watching him that Alexia decided to make it her career. At age 15, she launched her career in pastry making. Seven years later, here she is at the top of her field, ahead of a dozen competitors. At Duhamel, it was the owner, Julien Duhamel, who passed on much of his expertise to her—particularly the assembly process, the step she’s most proud of. Her secret: she’s managed to replicate the technique exactly. Behind every millefeuille lies several days of work: kneading the dough, incorporating the butter, then successive layers, with twelve to sixteen hours of resting time between each one.
Customers are lining up to taste the champion’s cake, sold for €5.20. The bakery, which has already been recognized for its traditional baguette in 2023 and its croissant in 2021, adds this new title to its list of achievements. As for Alexia, she’s already looking ahead to the next competition—the galette contest.
