The first time I set foot in Pierre Herme, I was in complete awe. I had heard about this mythical pastry shop just down the street from school. On a day where we only had one class, I proposed a field trip to my classmates. With visions of sweets dancing in our heads, we pushed through the door and into a magical place. I wrote an entry all about the experience, so if you missed it, you can read it here.

Over the past year, I’ve visited the store on several occasions, but mostly to indulge in their macarons. Like haute couture, Pierre Herme actually has different collections depending on the season. When my friend James was in town in December, we sampled two sinfully delicious macarons uniting chocolate and foie gras. I’m not a huge fan of foie gras, but I have to say that paired with bitter, yet slightly sweet, chocolate was a marriage made in heaven. And then there was the white truffle and hazelnut one. When I took my first bite, I simply melted on the floor. The soft earthy aroma of the truffle in each bite made me shiver. It was truly the best macaron I’ve ever had in my life.

Pierre Herme takes few interns, so I feel quite fortunate to be selected. When I went for my initial visit a couple weeks ago, I was thrilled to learn that I’ve come at an important time. Evidently in the next couple weeks, the store will celebrate a festival of macarons. Who knows what inventive and creative flavors I’ll get to see and make. I wonder if they’ll let me write down recipes. I certainly hope so!

And then there are the cakes. These are true works of art. I could just by one and put it on display in my house. Course it wouldn’t last very long because eventually I’d descend on it with a spoon. Decoration is simple, yet very refined and elegant. Nothing is out of place or overdone. On several occasions I’ve had treats in Paris that looked better than they tasted. But that’s not the case here. Pierre Herme delivers on flavors and textures. Everything is in harmony and balanced.

I’ve been in contact with a previous Le Cordon Bleu student who did her internship here. She absolutely loved it and got to work on everything they sell. She’s advised me that the people are very friendly and polite, but don’t expect to have fun with them. This is serious business so everyone is very professional. Although I’m looking forward to putting my head down and getting lost in the work, I also like to have fun. Perhaps there’s a way to balance the two.

As for the hours, I’ll finally have my life back. My first week, I work from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM – a civilized 8 hours. I’ll have Saturdays and Sunday off, but eventually, I’ll be working six days a week and sometimes on Sunday. My second week, I change shifts and work from 2:00 – 10:00 PM. Then going forward, I alternate shifts each week. Ah, to have some free time to enjoy Paris and get things done. I’m so excited.

The new culinary adventure begins bright and early Monday at 6:00 AM. But going forward to protect the innocent and the guilty, I won’t be using the Pierre Herme name. I haven’t settled on a pseudo name yet, so if you have any suggestions, I’m all ears.
 

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