With more than a million followers on Instagram, Cédric Grolet is equal parts social media star and acclaimed pastry chef. The Paris-based creative posts photos of his work on Instagram often—Rubik’s Cube–shaped cakes, luscious apple pies, and towering croquembouche. But perhaps his most eye-catching creations are his “fruits.”

Grolet specializes in pastries that look exactly like real fruit—lemons, oranges, apples, and strawberries in addition to exotic options, typically composed of sweet or unexpected fillings and a cake-like outer shell. “I’ve always loved fruit. As a child, I lived in the countryside, and my mother would feed me fruit instead of sweets for my midafternoon snack,” Grolet says of his inspiration behind the surreal pastries. “Early on, I started picking fruit, strawberries in particular, to make a little bit of money. I developed my palate pretty quickly and experimented with various fruit flavors.”

Hailing from Firminy, a commune in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, Grolet comes from a long line of restaurateurs and started working in the industry at age 12—around the same time he started picking fruit. He eventually completed his training as a pastry chef and won awards, including the National Trophy of Sucre d’Art, as well as the top prize at the National Festival of Croquembouches in 2005, before landing his position as pastry chef at Le Meurice in 2011.

The fruit pastries are so authentic that if you scrolled past them on Instagram, you’d probably just assume they were the real thing. The lemons and limes come stippled with a natural texture, green leaves and all, while the apricot, full of fruit filling, has an incredibly organic texture. As for his version of a pear, it comes with very realistic spots and color variations—just as if you picked it in an orchard.

“I find fruit fantastic because each one has its own texture and taste, which makes working with them so interesting,” he explains of his lifelong obsession. “It made sense for me to create a collection of desserts and pastries encapsulated in fruit.” It doesn’t seem like Grolet will stop experimenting with his quirky renditions of edible fruit anytime soon either—not long ago, he posted an unusual version of a raspberry pastry, unlike anything else we’ve ever seen, asking for opinions from his millions of followers.

Be sure to visit the Worlds best Pastry shop in France

La patisserie du Meurice par Cédric Grolet
6 Rue de Castiglione 75001
Paris France
+33 1 44 58 10 10

Contacts

Camilleflour@cedricgrolet.com

Source Vogue