We all have a somewhat vague relationship with chocolate. Some crunch it, others melt it, and still others avoid it for vague reasons of ‘reason’. Jeffrey Cagnes, on the other hand, talks about it as if it were a language. From the blackcurrant and chocolate tart to the revisited Saint-Honoré that he will present at the Salon du Chocolat at the Espace Remix Pop-up (from 28 October to 2 November in Paris), the chef has a way of transforming indulgence into conversation. With him, cocoa is a pretext for playing and sharing. An encounter without aprons or jargon with one of the most charismatic chefs of his generation.

Alice Masson: You're coming to the Salon du Chocolat with a series of original creations. For someone who knows nothing about this world, where should they start?

Jeffrey Cagnes: I'll mainly be bringing pastries rather than pure chocolate. When you discover the Salon, you must first let yourself be carried away by curiosity and explore very different chocolates. The key is to know what you like. There are many cooperatives on site that explain the theory, origins and varieties. The basics are often based on dark chocolate: you have to learn to discover it, not because it is associated with a brand, but for what it really is.

The Salon was created thirty years ago to make all this accessible. Each type of chocolate has its own technical characteristics and history. Personally, I have a soft spot for those from Peru: their soil produces a very fruity cocoa, almost like a fine wine. You have to taste it to understand.

Your blackcurrant and chocolate tart is a bit rock “n” roll, isn't it?

J.C: Blackcurrants are a divisive fruit. I like dark chocolate that's a little tart, with a hint of citrus. Blackcurrants are very expressive. Together, they form a surprising duo, with praline and a chocolate-hazelnut shortbread base. What I like is that the natural sugar in blackcurrants almost melts into the chocolate. If you close your eyes, you can taste the raw, original flavour of the cocoa.

How are you teaching your 11-year-old son to love chocolate?

J.C: I'm not the type to impose anything. For me, education is about discovery. We're all children at heart: we have to learn to taste things and understand what we like. I try to introduce him to lots of different things, but he's allowed not to like them (laughs). Sometimes he says, ‘It's too sweet,’ and he's often right! His palate is already well developed, but then again, he's growing up with a pastry chef (laughs). He also likes to follow the latest trends, such as Algerian spread or ‘Dubai chocolate’.

A chef who bucks the sweet bling trend

What we love about Jeffrey Cagnes is the way he breaks the rules without ever shouting about revolution. Trained in the great houses, he has made precision his playground, but always with a relaxed tone, a rare accessibility in haute pâtisserie. At the Salon du Chocolat, he shares the stage with Cédric Grolet and Yann Couvreur, a trio that embodies the new generation with technique and aesthetics.

On Sunday 2 November, he will take part in the Pastry Show alongside Mercotte, presenting a reinvented chocolate Saint-Honoré: Breton shortbread, dark cream, milk ganache, filled choux pastries and touches of 64% Peruvian chocolate. It may sound technical, but in the mouth it's a firework display of textures.

You often talk about the ‘generosity of the gesture’. Is that a philosophy?

J.: For a long time, pastry chefs were reduced to their technical mastery, without recognition of the creativity behind it. But all that is changing today. A designer, a violinist or a chef express themselves with their hands and their heads. The gesture is what connects the two. Piping, the finishing touch, precision: these are beautiful, almost magical gestures. That's what attracted me to this profession. Where there is passion, there is a gesture, and it is this gesture that conveys emotion.

Chocolate, made in France?

If you had to define the taste of French chocolate?

J.C: French chocolate, strictly speaking, doesn't exist because we don't have any cocoa trees. However, we do have unique expertise in processing. If I had to give it a taste, it would be that of precision, refinement and mastery. Like our pastry and confectionery tradition, it is subtle but assertive. You shouldn't follow a trend, you should create it.

What is your fondest memory of chocolate?

J.C: It was at my first boss's place, during my apprenticeship. It wasn't the taste that made an impression on me, but the technique: the first time I saw him tempering chocolate. He poured the melted mixture at 55°C onto cold marble to lower its temperature, before slowly raising it again. Seeing that substance shine and crackle on the marble... it was magical. I was fascinated, as if I were in a museum. And when I finally learned how to do it, I was so proud. It's a powerful memory, closely linked to the beauty of the gesture. My very own Willy Wonka!

People often say that chocolate is comforting. Do you believe that?

J.C: Yes, absolutely. Chocolate has many virtues, starting with pleasure. And where there is pleasure, there is well-being. Regardless of the colour, I love milk chocolate; it reminds me of my childhood and brings back memories. No pastry chef will ever tell you they don't like milk chocolate! It's like in Ratatouille: one bite and it all comes flooding back.

Remix Area at the Salon du Chocolat
Translated by Bethszabee Garner