Yann COUVREUR

Recognizable by their red fox logo, Yann Couvreur’s shops and pastry shops are well known in Paris and beyond. Yet the young chef hasn’t always enjoyed such success.

Presentation

The son of booksellers, Yann Couvreur grew up in the Yvelines without much enthusiasm for school. It was at age 14, during an introductory pastry-making internship, that he found his calling. After earning a BEP and a CAP, he began working at various establishments before joining the Trianon Palace in Versailles. “I had just left school, and there I discovered the rigor and codes of the luxury hospitality industry.”

Search for Identity

His career took a turn in 2006 when he was hired by Alain Dutournier at the Carré des Feuillants in Paris. The problem: the young pastry chef hadn’t been entirely honest about his skills. “The beginning was tough, but they kept me on because I hung in there.”

His desire to explore the world of hospitality then led him to join the Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme, working under Jean-François Foucher. Two years passed working alongside the man who became his mentor. Then, Yann Couvreur set off for the Eden Rock in Saint-Barthélemy. It was the first time he had to create on his own. “I realized that I wasn’t focused on indulgence, but on technical prowess.” He experienced that same wake-up call again at the Lancaster a year later, when Michel Troisgros told him that his creations didn’t live up to his expectations.

The Quest for Pleasure

It was Akrame Benallal who put an end to this period of doubt. Thanks to him, the young chef regained his confidence and landed a position at the Burgundy. “On the plane to Paris, I created my menu. I realized that I was in the process of shaping my identity—the guiding principle of my creativity—centered around one thing: the guest’s pleasure.”

In 2013, he was even poached by Stéphanie Le Quellec for the fine-dining restaurant La Scène du Prince de Galles. He stayed there for two years, until he founded his Atelier Yann Couvreur and opened his first pastry shop in Paris’s 10th arrondissement. Success followed him in Paris, Miami, and Dubai alike.