At Agathe Olivet, pastry is a lifelong vocation, regarded as an art of taste and sharing
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your journey to becoming a pastry chef?
My name is Agathe Olivet, I am a pastry chef, founder and manager of the Pâtisserie Agathe Olivet in Saint-Clément-de-Rivière.
Pastry is a passion that was born from childhood. Very young, I knew that this would be my profession. For as long as I can remember, I have only dedicated my life to this: learning, practicing, perfecting myself, and evolving this know-how.
All my studies have been guided by this vocation, with a CAP Pastry diploma, a complementary mention in pastry, chocolate making, confectionery, and plated desserts, then a Technical Certificate in Pastry Craft, confectionery, ice cream making, catering.
My professional journey has been built with rigor and curiosity, between artisanal houses and prestigious hotel establishments. I worked several years in artisanal bakery-pastry in Hérault, notably with Mr. Lionel Hautbois in his various establishments, where I held positions as a pastry chef and then laboratory manager. These experiences allowed me to develop great rigor, precise organization, and constant dedication essential to the profession.
I was also lucky enough to work as a pastry chef in high-end establishments in French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Corsica. These experiences profoundly influenced my view of the profession and reinforced my demands.
In 2023, creating my own pastry shop was the natural culmination of this journey completely dedicated to pastry.
What deeply drives you in pastry?
Pastry is above all a means of sharing for me. Creating a dessert is giving a concrete form to an idea, then offering a moment that will be experienced around a family table or during a special event. I like to think that my creations accompany memories.
What deeply touches me is to see the reaction of customers when they discover a creation they have requested, or when they are amazed in front of a showcase. There is something very strong in this link between the work of the laboratory and the emotion felt by the customer.
Your pastry shop is also very rooted in the territory. Why was this important to you?
This project is profoundly personal. My family has been settled in Saint-Clément-de-Rivière for several generations and, deep down, I have always known that I wanted to settle there. When I had the opportunity in 2023 to create my shop at the very location where I used to come to get bread as a child with my family, it was a given.
Opening my pastry shop in the heart of the village where I grew up had a very strong symbolic value. It was the realization of a lifelong dream.
How would you define the identity of Pâtisserie Agathe Olivet?
A fine and artisanal pastry shop, where elegance serves taste. We offer balanced desserts, not overly sweet, entirely made on site, with particular attention to textures, flavors, and seasonality.
But the identity of the house is not limited to desserts. Customer service is held to the same level of demand as the quality of our creations. We seek to maintain a true closeness with our clients, to listen to them, to take their feedback into account, in order to offer them a complete and coherent experience.
Tell us about your team.
The pastry shop relies on a committed and passionate team, both in the laboratory and in the shop. I surround myself with people who share the same values as me and who are dedicated to showcasing artisanal know-how.
Each one ensures to provide attentive reception and quality service. For us, customer service is essential: it is the first contact with the customer, even before tasting. It fully participates in the perception of the work done in the laboratory.
Are there creations that particularly stand out to your clients?
Our chocolate mousse has become a true signature. Many clients do not hesitate to travel to taste it, especially for its airy and not overly sweet aspect.
We also place great importance on desserts deemed "timeless," with great constancy in flavor. Furthermore, our clients appreciate that we regularly offer creations outside the menu, depending on our desires and the seasons, in order to continuously bring innovation.
Some seasonal desserts, such as macaronade, raspberry tart, or strawberry tart, are highly anticipated. Their absence out of season is part of our approach: to respect the product and accept the wait to better appreciate its return.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My favorite moment starts well before the laboratory opens. I always wake up very early, when everyone is still asleep. On the road, in silence, while no one is around, I already think about what I will create. It is at this moment that ideas take shape.
Then I like to arrive at the laboratory before the team, start the machines, organize the day's tasks, and enjoy this calm to structure my thoughts. Then comes the moment of action: developing the desserts, transforming these ideas into tastes, textures, and forms.
What dessert instantly takes you back to childhood?
My grandmother's tiramisu, indulgent, made with love in a large dish placed at the center of the table, which we would share as a family, with my cousins, by the fire.
What are your projects and desires for the future?
Continue to evolve the pastry shop while remaining true to my values: rigor, taste, and the sense of sharing.
We want to offer new things, such as homemade ice creams in summer, assortments of pastries for tea on the terrace, and to share our passion through themed workshops in the laboratory.
We are also working on developing our range of chocolates to offer creations throughout the year, always made on site.
