Yann Machard was raised amid fine French cuisine, owing to the fact that several family members are French Chefs. While surrounded by all of this glorious food, Yann loved practicing the fine arts of painting and sculpting. It was eventually suggested by his family that pastry would be a wonderful way to express his artistic talents and desires and be in keeping with the family tradition of fine cuisine. So…by integrating a passion for food and creativity, the family’s first (and only) Pastry Chef was “born.”

In the beginning of his career as a Pastry Chef, Yann worked at and with some of the top names in French Pastry including Lenotre, considered to be the best pastry shop in France.

Yann flourished in his art and decided to give America a taste of his creativity. He arrived in New York City in 1973, worked at Dumas and with Chef Maurice Bonté. He then made his way to Denver, Colorado and began and six year run at Le Petit Gourmet Catering, the premier caterer in Denver. He returned to New York as Pastry Chef for the world-famous Tavern on the Green restaurant, delighting patrons for the next four years. However, during this time, Yann saw an emerging need for quality, wholesale French Pastry as fewer and fewer culinary students were choosing pastry.