Pastry Chef François Grosjean's talents can be summed up in one bite of his signature White Chocolate and Passion Fruit mousse. Creamy and decadent with a subtle tang, it achieves what he sets out to achieve in each new pastry he creates—to elegantly combine two separate tastes. Creamy and tart, chocolaty and fruity, cakey and sugary—all of his creations offer some duality, some engaging contrast that makes a dessert not only satisfying but provocative.
With 20 years in the industry, it is no surprise that Grosjean's creations achieve perfection. What began as an apprenticeship in Northern France as a teenager has become a career of achievement, creativity, and decadence. François was first exposed to the art of pastry when he took an apprenticeship in his home town, near Mont Blanc in France. The apprenticeship served as a wakeup call, for not only did he begin to learn about pastries, he got his first taste of responsibility. The hours were long and the work hard—he often worked 15 hours a day, 6 days a week. “It was hard,” he admits, quickly adding, “but practice is the key to success.” The long hours allowed him to master a wide range of techniques.
After learning all he could at the bakery, he set out to start a career of his own, which led him to 10 different cities in France, followed by Switzerland and finally London, where he stayed put for 13 years. The job that kept him in one place was an important one: pastry chef at the Ritz, where over the years he rose to second in command. Here, not only did he prepare desserts for the hotel’s exclusive clientele, he frequently prepared desserts for the royal family (the Queen Mother's favorite was chocolate cake with apricots, he claims). Working at the Ritz and living in London, he was able to learn English while also learning more about the art of pastry making. As he worked, the city around him was changing, becoming more modern. This would be an undercurrent in his work as well.
After being introduced to Anthony Bokaie, the husband of Veronique Bokaie, owner of the French Pastry Cafe, François decided to move to the United States to take a position as the head pastry chef at the French Pastry Café. Having visited the United States previously, he was attracted to the mild climate and coastal living in places like Los Angeles and Florida. San Diego did not disappoint. "I've always loved the sea" he explains.
He spent his first six months at the Café working up to 20 hours a day, seven days a week. "I changed every recipe in the place," he explains. Many of the recipes were for old-fashioned pastries, ones that had once been en vogue but some of which were close to 30 years old. He adapted the recipes, updating them to be more modern, more suitable to a time and place. The result is an array of desserts that are more elegant and arguably tastier than their predecessors.
His schedule revolves not around a daily routine, but a weekly one. Pastries are worked on according to a seven-day schedule, where he will spend one entire day prepping, another finishing, and a third making a new batch of delicacies. Some cakes take up to three days to complete, he explains, so he often makes 50 at a time. For his White Chocolate Passionfruit Mousse, for example, the passionfruit puree has to be made, then frozen, the layers of white chocolate mousse and sponge cake each prepared separately before they can be carefully layered together to create the final dessert.
Of all of his creations—he prepares about 30 at any given time—his signatures are those that go a step beyond the traditional, that add an element of surprise to each bite. He designed a Tequila Cheesecake for a local Mexican restaurant and a mousse modeled after an Almond Joy candy bar for a private client (his coconut, almond, and chocolate mousse puts the candy bar to shame). His exotic Passionfruit Mousse is a favorite among customers, as is the Churchill Cheesecake—a deceptively-named mousse that isn’t actually a cheesecake at all. He not only has customers clamoring for dessert after dinner; he has entire restaurants placing daily orders for his sweet treats.
Exposing yourself to François Grosjean’s delectable creations is remarkably simple. The French Pastry Café is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch, with dinner Thursdays through Saturdays and brunch on Sundays. During all open hours, the pastry counter remains open, allowing guests to stop in, peruse, and purchase pastries, along with a wide variety fresh baked breads (François shares a kitchen with talented baker Viannay de Gruson). Advance orders can be placed for large quantities, special occasions, and custom decorations. If you haven’t been by already, there really is no excuse—François makes some of the finest, most elegant pastries in town.