This is a strange place, in a deserted artery of Levallois-Perret (Hauts-de-Seine). Is it a shop? The pretty counter behind which stand two smiling women seems to militate in this direction. But, through the glass facade, you can also see an office with personal belongings and, above all, the absence of food is a concern. If it is a business, what is it selling?
When you take the trouble to push the door, you discover, in a corner, five solitary cakes. All different, precise and radiant like jewels, they are placed on a tray suggesting that they are going to be disposed of quickly. “It’s a sample of the stock available in the fridges. Above all, I didn’t want a showcase! », exclaims pastry chef Claire Heitzler, emerging from behind a door. The landlord explains: “For a shop window to be attractive, you have to offer a wide range of products and keep it full until the evening. This means throwing away pastries or serving them not fresh the next day. For me, that’s unthinkable. »
The 43-year-old seasoned pastry chef opened this hybrid place in December 2021, which is both her office, her pastry laboratory and a counter to receive customers and delivery people coming to pick up orders placed online. 80% of its business is based on e-commerce, but it keeps a small “buffer stock” for those who prefer to go live and “those who are not Internet savvy”.
Before the pandemic, such a place would probably not have been possible. Claire Heitzler had given up design and confined herself to advising restaurants or schools, because the idea of opening a traditional boutique did not suit her. But the health crisis has given rise to projects that are out of the ordinary. In 2020, it has enough experience to venture into the unknown and precisely define a concept in line with its values. “I took a paper, and I established my priorities. There were two: no showcase and being in direct contact with the producers. »
Under the name of Claire Heitzler & Producteurs, she offers a limited range of pastries by putting into practice a philosophy that is often found in restaurants, but still rarely in the sweet field: cooking is used to highlight a product. As with (good) chefs, Claire Heitzler’s inspiration comes from the products she receives and the conversations she has with farmers. Its magnificent “citrus garden”, for example, is a real advertisement for the fruits of Perrine and Etienne Schaller, based in Eus (Pyrénées-Orientales).
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