Paris never ceases to reinvent sweetness, and this time it does so with a promise as shiny as a freshly tempered praline. On October 18, 2025, on Avenue de l'Opéra, Cédric Grolet—the pastry chef who transformed fruit into sculpture and aesthetics into language—opened the doors of his new chocolate shop: Cédric et la Chocolaterie.
Photo credits @MaïaChamaiou
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A name that plays on the childhood imagery of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but which, from the very first glance, announces itself as a laboratory of precision and beauty, where chocolate is not just sweetness, but a material to be sculpted, architecture to be savored. A few steps from his famous pastry shop in the Opéra district, Grolet designs another chapter in his delicious universe, opening the doors to a place that promises to rewrite the very concept of a “chocolate factory.” Those expecting a colorful and chaotic world in the style of Willy Wonka will have to think again: Cédric et la Chocolaterie is elegant, minimalist, even meditative. It is a space where luxury is not excessive, but can be sensed in the details, in the reflections of the shiny cocoa, in the silent geometry of the display cases.
The first images posted on Instagram by Grolet's team have already sparked the curiosity of his millions of followers. The interior reveals two magnificent trees that appear to be sculpted from chocolate, with intertwined branches stretching toward the ceiling like an invitation to the imagination. Suspended pods hang from their knots, symbols of nature reinvented in a gourmand key. It is a controlled, aesthetic forest, where every curve seems calculated and poetic at the same time. Behind this apparent simplicity lie over three years of work. Grolet himself said on his profile: “After more than three years of work on a fourth concept, we will soon be adding a new address to our boutiques!”. The new space is, in fact, the fourth creation by the French pastry chef. After the Opéra pastry shop, Le Meurice, and the Cédric Grolet Café, now comes this laboratory dedicated exclusively to chocolate—a material that Grolet has always treated with almost religious respect, but which he had never placed at the center of such an independent project.
And, as always in his universe, nothing is left to chance: from the minimalist interior design to the name, which is both a reference and a manifesto. “Cédric et la Chocolaterie” is a title that plays on collective memory, but does so with irony and awareness, because Grolet knows well the difference between the naive magic of Willy Wonka and the refined magic of a contemporary artisan. His “factory” is not a place where everything happens by chance, but where every gesture is studied, every tempering measured. It is a workshop where chocolate is treated as a living material: smoothed, polished, molded until it becomes pure form. The first creation unveiled, the Fruits 3 Chocolats box, is already an aesthetic manifesto. A small treasure chest containing three varieties of chocolate, presented as fruits to be picked. The tradition of bonbons is transformed into a three-dimensional composition, where nature is filtered through the lens of pastry art.
The official opening took place on Saturday, October 18, at 11 a.m., with a crowd of enthusiasts gathered in front of the doors of the new boutique. This is the fate of every Grolet inauguration: tourists, Parisians, influencers, and curious onlookers waiting in line for hours, just to be able to say they have tasted one of his freshly baked or freshly poured creations. It is no longer just about desserts, but about sensory experiences, objects to be contemplated before being eaten. Grolet's journey is, after all, the perfect representation of French craftsmanship reinventing itself in the contemporary world. From his first pastry shop at the Opéra, which has become a pilgrimage destination for food lovers from all over the world, to this new adventure in the realm of cocoa, each step is an exercise in rigor and imagination. It is no surprise that he is known as “the stars' favorite pastry chef”: his name appears in posts by actors, models, chefs, and artists, all seduced by an aesthetic that blends childhood and technical perfection, surprise and millimeter precision.
But what sets Cédric et la Chocolaterie apart is not just the signature of its creator: it is the idea of chocolate that is not limited to pleasure, but conveys a philosophy. Here, indulgence is dressed in sobriety; playfulness is combined with discipline. It is not an excess of sugar, but a reflection on beauty, control, and the wonder that comes from balance. The location itself, on Avenue de l'Opéra, is no coincidence. It is a crossroads between the classic and the modern, between monumental Paris and the fast-paced city. On this elegant street, the scent of cocoa mingles with the buzz of tourists and the hurried pace of Parisians, like a sweet interlude in the midst of the city's rhythm. Those who know Grolet know that his idea of sweetness is never predictable. His creations are perfect illusions: fruits that look real but hide delicate mousses, petals that conceal light ganaches, shapes that deceive the eye to enhance the taste. It is likely that even in the new chocolate shop, each piece will carry that double meaning: playful appearance and technical complexity.
