Jean-Paul Hévin MOF

It is within his family, at the heart of rural France, that Jean-Paul Hévin discovered his passion. Under the friendly eye of his mother, he made his first tarts. Two extraordinary encounters mark his years of training: with a person, and with a country. As a hotel pastry chef, he gets acquainted with Joël Robuchon - later to become the most awarded chef of France - with whom he learns how to become a refined virtuoso. Then, he goes to Japan, working for the patisserie Peltier. It is a revelation for him. He explores every island, learns the language and inhales the culture

In the following years, he gains prestigious competitions, until the most important of all, the title of “Best craftsman of France” in pastry, in 1986. Two years later, he opens his first own tearoom.

Jean-Paul Hévin likes choosing his own cocoa beans. He considers that his job is at first one of a taster. Within a range of classic and perfectly executed candies, two best-sellers distinguish themselves: the "Yuzu" (lemon ganache, yuzu and dark chocolate) and the "Sapphire" (hazelnut cream associated with a crunchy biscuit).

But Jean-Paul Hévin also likes ranging off the beaten track, thus creating chocolates with cheese (to experience with a good Jura wine). “In the field of taste, I refrain myself from nothing”, he explains.

Faithful to the his youthful yearning for discovery, Jean-Paul Hévin conquered a new market in Japan, adapting to “their sensitivity, that is different from ours”. He acknowledges how “the Japanese enjoy my inventions”… Today, he is at the head of six shops and 120 employees in the Land of the Rising Sun. He proudly states that “in Japan, the craftsman is a living God”, without needing to add that his fans pursue him up to his hotel!

"Jean-Paul Hevin" by yuichi.sakuraba is marked with CC BY-NC 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/?ref=openverse