Exceeding expectations, one dessert at a time

Head Pastry Chef, Peggy Hagneré, specializes in creating dazzling desserts for guests at EDF’s executive club in Paris, France.

Many of her creations look like pictures on a plate and with Christmas approaching, it’s the ideal time for Peggy to showcase her craft.

So the passion for pastry was there from an early age and, after a traditional education and with my baccalaureate in hand, I completed a BTS in Hospitality and Catering.

Armed with my diploma, I started my career, working in Michelin-starred establishments in Paris alongside chefs such as Bernard Vaxelaire, Jean-Pierre Vigato, François Grandjean and Jean-Pierre Morot-Gaudry. All inspirational mentors in French gastronomy.

The perfect ingredients for a work-life balance

My Sodexo career began in 2007. I started my journey as a Chef De Partie at the AON site in Levallois-Perret – part of Sodexo Prestige, which later became Prestige Affaires.

The opportunity came along just at the right time. I’d recently become a mother and the job gave me a better professional-personal life balance, without sacrificing either one.

In the last 18 years I’ve moved up the ranks and around locations, from the first role in the AON executive club, then up to the Médéric–Malakoff club as Deputy Head Chef, then to the Crédit Agricole Vaugirard site as Head Pastry Chef.

And that brings me to where I am today, Head Pastry Chef at EDF’s executive club. The responsibilities that come with the role span design, creation and final quality control.

There’s no seasonal menu here, we have new menus every morning, adapted to our clientele.

Knowing that clientele is essential.

Working in an executive club has its advantages as you often see the same guests each day and that helps us a lot, as we can get to know their tastes and preferences.

But it also makes us work twice as hard as we have to be careful not to repeat ourselves and remain creative to ensure we don’t just meet expectations but exceed them.

Keeping pace with food trends is also important and I think one of my proudest creations was devised with my apprentice, Louna.

We made a 100% plant-based dessert, designing it from scratch with no prior vegan knowledge. It blends crunchy and creamy textures together and is layered with Amatika – a vegan milk chocolate alternative – oat-flake crumble, strawberry crispy, strawberry mousse and fresh strawberries. Pure happiness!

We’ll always strive to make the most of seasonal produce – not just at Christmas but throughout the year. It’s important to me to source locally for pastry-making staples like fruit, milk and eggs, and to showcase French ingredients and highlight our suppliers.

While my role is to develop high-end desserts, I still take great inspiration from the classics at Christmas, such as Mont Blanc and Black Forest cake. It reminds me of my times creating in the kitchen with my grandmother, and that’s what Christmas means to so many of us – good food and great times with family.