so good no 34

Those of us lucky enough to write for so good.. magazine are the first to be surprised by the endless creativity of chefs working in what is known as haute pâtisserie. And this 34th edition, which we are now presenting, is no exception. Nineteen chefs visited us, 60% of them doing so for the first time.

We asked six true specialists to design innovative, even non-commercial, proposals based on creative viennoiserie. Well, China's Zhou Xiaohu, Chile's Camila García Elizalde, France's Brian Boclet, Hungary's Attila Meinhart, North American Antonio Bachour, and Spain's Adrián Ruiz accepted the challenge, offering us twenty delicious proposals as unexpected as a spherical croissant, an acorn-shaped croissant, a plumcake croissant, a Madeleine croissant, a flower-shaped croissant, and more.

Creative avant-garde is currently in the oven. Beyond the fantastic viennoiserie, Francisco Moreira also wanted to go beyond mint and thyme, delving into the unknown world of flowers and aromatic plants, with discoveries as curious as walnut leaves. No less surprising is the work of Japanese world champion Masanori Hata, who not only creates new techniques but also designs the tools necessary to develop them.

And for unexpected techniques, it's worth taking a look at the mother of vinegars by Spain's Begoña Rodrigo. You can't miss the elegance of Korean chef Bomee Ki, who is able to reconcile her native culinary culture, the ingredients of the English countryside where she lives, and the French techniques she uses in her desserts. This case is curiously similar in terms of multiculturalism to that of Kunal Kathpalia, the young and promising pastry chef of the restaurant Indienne in Chicago. When it comes to the art of the sublime, no one practices it as well as Titouan Claudet, head of the pastry shop at a luxury hotel in Geneva, The Woodward; of two Michelin-starred restaurants, L'Atelier Robuchon and Le Jardinier, at Bar 37; and of an exclusive boutique, Le Comptoir.

And no one handles the realm of fantasy like Albert Daví, who presents us with 360-degree cakes, with a unique design and personality. Belgian chef Brecht Van Poucke brings us his idea of ​​the perfect cake, a kind of inspiration born from the great classics of Belgian and French pâtisserie, filtered through a modern twist that does not detract from its commercial appeal; and Argentinian chef Carito Lourenço, now based in Spain, focuses on pleasure, emotion, and memory to create her desserts, all without resorting to the almighty chocolate.

Jesús Camacho, in the Canary Islands, immerses us in the idea of ​​"pastryizing" cooking, blurring the lines between sweet and savory; Russian chef Igor Melnikov accompanies us on an interesting visit to the Four Seasons Hotel in Moscow and shows us his surprising and eclectic creations; American chef Frank Vollkommer returns after a few years to the pages of so good.. magazine to show us his status as a complete, versatile, and 100% reliable chef; and, last but not least, French chef Yazid Ichemrahen tells us how pastry saved his life.

So, what is so good.. magazine #34 about? Basically, it's about creative pastry, innovative techniques, unique styles, sublime desserts, and elegant cakes, but also about stellar lives, predestined stories, rigor, respect, professionalism, effort and perseverance, talent and enthusiasm... In other words, the values ​​we so admire in this wonderful profession.