PÂTISSERIE BENJAMIN BORDAS

Open Tuesday to Thursday from 9am to 7pm; Friday and Saturday from 8:30am to 7pm; Sunday from 8:30am to 1pm.

Article from Loir et Cher info - Anne Sarazin

Unrivalled craftsman

Originally from Tours, Benjamin Bordas confides that he "fell in love with Vendôme, halfway between the countryside and the city". At the age of 29, this trained chef, who has worked in top establishments in Paris, Rennes and Spain, preferred to set up as a pastry and chocolate maker. From these professions, he likes "the positive stress". Behind the scenes, his wife Margaux supervises, among other things, the decoration of the premises and the graphic design of the products.

In the mornings, customers appreciate the croissants and kouignamann, and at lunchtime, the bagels with homemade fruit juice are a hit. But the stars of the show are the chocolates and pastries, with their refined look and taste. "It's all about making a splash", smiles this outstanding craftsman. His signature cake? The delicate green mioga, a blend of ginger, lemons, nougatine and hazelnut. Benjamin also makes gluten-free and lactose-free pastries to order, as well as XXL-size creations for special events.

What's new? Iced Eskimos in a variety of flavors. Vanilla, strawberry-citrus, mango-passion... we can't wait to taste (them all)..

taste them...

Read on

Benjamin Bordas creates delicate pastries in Vendôme

It's a dream location, in the heart of Vendôme, not far from the statue of Marshal Rochambeau... For over a year, Benjamin Bordas has been working as a pastry chef and chocolate maker in the former Rodolphe (ex-Jean-Pierre Bouard) shop. The shop front is impressive, especially the window, filled with a variety of cakes - in summer, there's plenty of colored fruit - and other gourmet products.

Benjamin Bordas, 29, trained as a chef. Originally from Tours, he cut his teeth in Touraine at the Michelin-starred Les Hautes Roches restaurant (http://www.leshautesroches.com/) in Rochecorbon, before moving on to the capital and the Michelin-starred Laurent restaurant in Paris's 8th arrondissement (https://guide.michelin.com/fr/fr/ile-de-france/paris/restaurant/laurent). He then tried his luck in Spain, below Valencia, at the chic Paco Morales restaurant (https://elbardepacomorales.com/). "This chef now has two stars in the Michelin Guide; he's so rigorous... Over there, I worked in the pastry department Because after cooking, the young man also learned pastry-making and took a CAP in a hurry. i'd always done everything in the kitchen," he says, "but pastry-making was the downside

Vendôme Bordas patissier

"Positive stress

In all these establishments, Benjamin learns "the pressure in the kitchen, the positive stress. It keeps me going." He admits: "With Didier Edon, chef at Les Hautes Roches, I learned everything. It set the bar very high, it was hard but very rewarding." The young chef then moved to Rennes, Brittany, to work for Laurent Le Daniel, Meilleur ouvrier de France (MOF) https://www.patisserieledaniel.fr/fr/maison-le-daniel). It was here that Benjamin Bordas and his wife Margaux - who oversees packaging, graphics and decoration for the family business - were thinking of setting up shop... just as the health crisis hit. "We wanted to be closer to our family," he says. So it was Vendôme, a town for which the chef has a "big crush, between the city and the country, it's a good place to live", he says.

The desire to "build something"..

Today, as his own "chef", Benjamin confides that he has "rediscovered the rhythm he used to have in the kitchen, the fireworks between 6 and 8 in the morning", before opening his store at 9 a.m., or even earlier.

From the age of 8 or 9, he wanted to become a "cook or pastry chef", even though his family was not in that field. "My grandmothers always cooked," he recalls.

Today, like many of his colleagues, he confesses to having recruitment problems. "There should be four of us, but there's an employee, an apprentice and me, so we really have to work! The days start very early, sometimes as early as 5 a.m... to end at 8 p.m. "I've always wanted to set up my own business, that's what I set out to do. I've always wanted to learn, show my work and build something," he says. We're trying to energize the town, and we all have to pull in the same direction

A 100% gourmet day..

On the gourmet side of things, there's plenty to choose from. From 9 a.m., you can enjoy breakfast on site (tea, coffee, croissants, brioches and kouign-amann), sit out on the terrace if the weather's fine, or inside for a coffee or tea - with a macaroon, it's recommended, or a homemade fruit juice - or come for lunch. A set menu (€9.50) includes a bagel, quiche or salad.

Aesthetically, it's a real eye-catcher! "It's all about making a splash", smiles the pastry chef, who combines taste, finesse and delicacy. The colors compete in beauty: green for the signature mioga cake - made with ginger, lemons, nougatine and hazelnuts - yellow for the mango and coconut cake, not forgetting the citrus and blueberry tarts. This summer, visitors will be able to try our homemade Eskimos: mango-passion, strawberry-citrus, raspberry, caramel, and many other flavors for even more gourmet pleasure..