The best pastry shops Luberon

Théodore Volpert is a pastry goldsmith; he's not even 30, and since 2019 his reputation has been attracting gourmets from all over the Luberon. We come for the classic tarts, millefeuilles, operas, éclairs, macaroons... And you'll fall for the creations: Saint-Elzéar, Sainte-Delphine - saints celebrated locally in Provence - and Mistral qui chasse les nuages, unless it's a cake in homage to Frédéric Mistral, the bard of the Provencal language. In honor of the finest local produce, Le Cévennes has the flavor of chestnuts.

Michel Bourbouze, artisan patissier and master chocolatier, keeps the traditions alive. He's the home of the famous cadenette: a braid designed by the Seigneur de Cadenet in the early ^17th century, which was used to adorn the hairstyles of soldiers and "incroyables" or "muscadins" after the French Revolution. Michel's braids are much less vindictive: they consist of orange zest macerated in Grand Marnier, a melting ganache, all molded into a dark chocolate braid, and attractively presented in a small drum. You'll also find classic pure-butter viennoiseries and personalized cakes, all made on the premises from fresh ingredients.

While madeleines originated in Commercy in eastern France, where Madeleine Paulmier invented the recipe in the ^18th century, in the Luberon region of France Émeline has been making hundreds of handmade madeleines every day since 2021, to the delight of gourmets. Crunchy and soft, not too sweet, plain, with chocolate, preserved lemon or almonds, they are shaped like a scallop shell. Émeline sells them at the La Tour d'Aigues and Pertuis markets, but they can also be ordered via her La Luberonnaise website.

The maleoùs are small cakes made in the Vaucluse by Éléonore. She uses only organic and local products, and in season. The maleoùs, which look like big macaroons, are available in salted butter caramel, fig-rosemary, melon-fennel, pomegranate and Zaatar, a spicy Lebanese mixture with a lemony taste. And also in salty flavors chorizo-tarragon, goat-basil, tuna and cumin... They keep for several days, you can bring them back in your luggage as a little piece of Provence. Éléonore sells them at markets and online.