Guillaume Nicoli (Baker)
The man, behind most of Auckland's sweetest treats is the passionate Guillaume Nicoli - a French pastry chef who has worked for over 15 years crafting his talent.
Nicoli's career has seen him work with top-ranking French maestro Thierry Mulhaupt in Strasbourg and at Fauchon in Paris. He has also worked in a number of Michelin star restaurants. In 2005 he moved to New Zealand, started Ma Cherie (which means "My Darling") and four years later, began selling and supplying pastries, made with natural ingredients, all over town.
"My passion for food will never die, because I love cooking and I care about the quality: you can only make good with good," he enthuses in his rich French accent. The key to a successful macaron, he says, "is creating a light crisp exterior with a gooey interior." He also makes lemon tart, chocolate tart, hand-made marshmallow, eclairs, mille feuilles, croquembouche ...
"All these pastries will give you a real taste of France," he laughs. "Un je ne sais quoi."
Check out Guillaume's website here.
