Former executive pastry chef at the Plaza Athénée, Christophe Michalak captured the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie 2005 and, since 2013, trains new talents at his “Michalak Masterclass,” while Parisian boutiques and TV shows bring haute pâtisserie to a wide audience.
Class of 1973, Michalak first dreamed of architecture, but at fifteen he chose pastry: vocational school in Angers, then a world tour through the Hilton London, Le Negresco, Fauchon, Ladurée and Pierre Hermé. In 2000 he joined Plaza Athénée under Alain Ducasse, remaining until 2016 and carving out fashion-forward desserts that earned him pop-icon status in “couture sweets.”
The breakthrough came in 2005: he led Team France to victory at the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie. In 2013 he left the hotel to launch the Michalak Masterclass and his first “Take Away” on rue du Faubourg-Poissonnière; boutiques in the Marais and Saint-Germain followed, showcasing his “K-shock” aesthetic in Kosmik jars, Fantastik cakes and K-bars.
Michalak became a TV personality with Le gâteau de mes rêves (Téva), Qui sera le prochain grand pâtissier ? and Dans la peau d’un chef (France 2), delivering five-minute recipes with comic-book flair that breaks barriers between chef and viewer.
His philosophy is a pop mix of cultures and formats: reduced sugar, punchy flavors (yuzu, passion fruit, fresh herbs) and graphic assembly. “A dessert must be sexy and easy to grasp,” he says—an ethos behind the ever-changing Fantastik palette cake and cassette-shaped “K-7” bars of chocolate and caramelized nuts.
Among his key accolades: Pastry Chef of the Year 2013 (Relais Desserts), Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite (decree 31 Dec 2020; Journal Officiel 1 Jan 2021) and author of more than ten best-selling pastry books. Today he runs three boutiques, the Masterclass school and a retail product line while researching long-fermented viennoiserie and “clean-label” desserts.
