First Korean Pastry Chef to Conquer Europe’s Dessert Scene
Creatrip Team
7 months ago
Kim Narae, head pastry chef at Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme, has become the first foreign woman and first Korean to win “Pastry Chef of the Year 2024” from French guide Gault&Millau (one of France’s two major gastronomic guides alongside the Michelin Guide). Starting pastry at 15, she rose to the Palace-level hotel kitchens focusing on “healthy desserts” that minimize sugar and highlight fresh fruits and grains to convey emotion—what she calls “Emotion de sucre.” For the holiday season she presented a new collection including bûche de Noël and galette des rois (a traditional French New Year “king cake” with a hidden fève (small figurine)), while also reinterpreting simple Korean childhood snacks—like gabot, sando, and gangjeong—using French pastry techniques. Her award celebrates both her creative reinterpretation of place (inspired by Vendôme’s jewelers) and a philosophy of putting heart into desserts, which she credits to mentors and Korean predecessors.
