Meet Jean-Philippe Salinière
Pastry Chef
The two bakery-cake shops belonging to Jean-Philippe Saliniere, under the name “Coulis de Framboise” [Raspberry Coulis] are among the most popular on the island of Martinique, in the French Antilles.
- A great pastry chef from the French Antilles
- After studying electronics, Jean-Philippe decided at the age of 20 to become a pastry chef; “it was my grandfather, a baker, who eventually inspired me to try”. And so he joined the Ferrandi School in Paris, one of the best in France, “there I met a great teacher who encouraged me not only in my choice of career, but also to do it well, just like in top-quality organisations. I continued my training in the grand establishments of Paris, at Pelletier then at Lenôtre, where I learnt the meaning of quality. After a spell in a “two stars”, I finished my training at Laurent Bourcier, in the shop he owned at that time in St Jean de Luz (France): “Le chien et le renard” (see Laurent Bourcier’s profile in the June 2009 issue of The Chef’s Web). I went on to cross paths with two M.O.F.s (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France – or Most Accomplished Craftsmen of France), Thierry Bamas and Patrick Castagna. It was from these encounters with first-class professionals that I learnt about organisation, thoroughness, profits and the pride of a job well done”. Originally from Martinique, Jean-Philippe went back to his island for a holiday in 2005 but… “My holiday was soon turned into a business trip when I found a business premises… A few months later I opened my first shop.
- Regional and mainland specialities
- Today, Jean-Philippe manages two shops, about thirty members of staff and two production labs. “We have a good reputation in Martinique, both for our bread and our cakes. Of course we work with traditional recipes, cakes ‘like Mum used to make’, Robinson, sweet pastries with guava or banana… Our Zakari, a speciality of Martinique, a type of dry flaky bread, is very popular. But the population of the island has changed, people travel and pastries from the mainland are very much appreciated here. The Basque cake, the Black Forest cream or our raspberry speciality the “Goût de Framboise” are all a great success. Although human resource management means I am less involved in the creative side of things, I have still made sure our cream desserts continue to develop. I concentrate more on textures, with layers of biscuit and more delicate creams for more crunch”.
- First-class Viennese pastries
- In terms of products, Jean-Philippe Saliniere is a big fan of Elle & Vire Extra Dry Butter “it’s the butter I use in my Viennese pastries. It’s the only one I use, because of its flavour, its subtleness and its technical qualities. It’s hot here in the labs and it’s not always easy to work the butter. It’s tempting for some to use a little vegetable fat… But the flavour is not the same! Extra Dry Butter makes all the difference and customers know it!” For Jean Philippe, who hopes to open more shops in the Caribbean, there are two key elements to success: “work with best quality, noble products and never disregard service towards customers, such as offering them bread hot from the oven throughout the day…”