Florent Margaillan

Florent Margaillan
HEAD PASTRY CHEF
Passion, energy, creativity, and a sense of both pleasure
and discipline come together in the work of young head
pastry chef Florent Margaillan. Oh, and he also promises
generosity and a touch of magic…
How did Le Royal Mansour’s magic work on the 29-year
-old head pastry chef, Florent Margaillan, when he started
at the hotel in summer 2015? “I’d learnt everything – or
so I thought – working in the grand luxury hotels of Paris.
When I arrived here, I realised I knew nothing about the
art of welcome. We don’t have anything like this in Europe.
Here, everything is natural, nothing is forced. This place is
unreal!” Clearly speaking from his heart, Florian, a finalist
for Meilleur Ouvrier de France pastry chef of 2015, says
freely that he’d simply never experienced anything like Le
Royal Mansour. “It made me want to aim that high, too, to
find that kind of consistent excellence.”
Florian didn’t end up here by accident. He got his professional
diploma in 2008, and worked at the Ritz Paris, initially as
a stagiare, then in his first position as pastry chef. Next
came the George V, followed by the pastry sous-chef role
at two-Michelin-starred Hôtel du Castellet in the Var. His
next job was with Claire Heitzler at Lasserre, a time that he
considers crucial to his evolution as a pastry chef. Florent
loves a challenge, and often takes part in national and
international competitions. In 2010, he won the
Championnat de France du Dessert in the professional
category, and in 2012 came third in the Mondial des Arts
Sucrés. He has also published several titles devoted to the
art of pâtisserie.
Next, he took on the head pastry role at Terre Blanche
Hôtel in Provence, then spent a winter in Courchevel at
L’Apogée, and the following summer at Château Saint
Martin & Spa. It was at this point that Yannick Alléno
sought him out to become his head pastry chef at Le Royal
Mansour.
“I am truly passionate about my job,” says Florian. “I leap
out of bed with real enthusiasm every morning. Nothing
can compare with what we do here: the resources, the
scope for creativity, the team.” His main challenge as head
pastry chef is as much about managing his team as it is
about creating divine pastries. He speaks warmly yet
firmly: “They are young like me – they don’t talk to me how
I used to talk to my boss at the Ritz, obviously. That doesn’t
matter, so long as they understand what’s at stake, and why
we must aspire to be the most excellent team we can be.”
Florian even goes so far as to compare his job with his
sister’s work as a doctor, “After ten years of training,
doctors aren’t meant to make mistakes,” he says. “It’s the
same for us in our world – once you’ve clocked up a certain
mileage, you just can’t get anything wrong.”
At this level, getting everything right means not just
flawless execution, but also remembering to delight and
thrill the guests. Whenever he comes up with a new dessert,
Florent thinks to himself, “My imagination is taking flight,
but what would I do if the recipient wanted something a
little less complicated? Would I make a cream millefeuille
if it was my mother, my brother or sister? Yes, they’d love
that – but if I can surprise them or take them somewhere a
little more exciting, why not tempt them?”
At the same time, the prevailing ethos at Le Royal Mansour
keeps him grounded. “There’s something about working
here that makes you believe you are doing a simple job that
gives people pleasure, rather than something unnecessarily
complicated. If I make choux buns for a guest, or serve
pâtisserie “at home” in a someone’s riad, what more can
they expect but quality, refinement and generosity?
Generosity and simplicity are my guides.”
Morocco’s incredible produce makes it a promised land for
Florent. Dates, dried fruits, spices, honey, novel flavours
that feed both his creativity and his appetite. He is mad
about the melt-in-the-mouth almond biscuits called
ghriba. “I lean towards local products,” he says. “The more
I master them, the closer I get to the treats that my guests
really want.”
Everyone involved with Le Royal Mansour seeks perfection
in the smallest details. What, for you, is that crucial detail?
“It is everything you don’t see. A beautiful pastry is as much
a pleasure for the eyes as it is for the palate, and nothing
can be left to chance. But you shouldn’t be aware of all the
work that went into its creation. Tidying and cleaning, as well
as finish and presentation, are also part of our profession.”
Each profession has its own vocabulary. What are the
words you would use to describe Le Royal Mansour?
This chef is an eloquent talker, and he loves the lexicon of
his profession. Foncer: to grease your cake tin. Développer:
when cake or puff pastry rises. Dresser: to adorn a pastry
before serving. Candir: to crystallise in sugar syrup. On top
of all this, he has progressed from “I am a super professional”
to “I will bring you magic”. Florent Margaillan has found his
place at Royal Mansour.