Une pincée de sel, caterer and pastry shop in Montaren-et-Saint-Médiers
FR - Opened in June this year, Une pincée de sel already promises a wide range of tastes.
From sweet to savoury, young chef Danaê deftly creates menus to accompany your daily routine and spice up your meals with sometimes surprising touches.
UzEssentiel's editorial team slipped into the company of this unrivalled cook to have a bite at the thousand flavours of her dishes.
GOURMET ENCOUNTER
Hello Danaê,
You've just settle in Montaren, taking over this former bakery and turning it into a caterer/pastry shop. Quite a challenge for such a young chef!
What made you decide to create your business? You're one of those young entrepreneurs whose ambition is to revitalise the region's villages and town centres.
To be honest, there were actually 2 triggers. First of all, the closure of the only bakery in the village of Montaren, and then the desire to offer my own dishes and pastries with total freedom.
As I'm not a baker, I decided to continue the bread depot that my father had set up when the baker left, to ensure continuity of service for the villagers. We then created a laboratory and transformed the shop to accommodate my catering and patisserie business. Une pincée de sel (a pinch of salt) was born!
What has been your training?
I couldn't decide between cooking and pastry-making, so I first took a CAP Cuisine, then a BAC PRO Cuisine (two professional cooking degrees). I then went on to do a CAP in pastry-making, with an additional qualification in plated desserts. The icing on the cake was the Mention Traiteur (caterer).
With my qualifications in hand, I spent 3 years working on a variety of catering assignments.
What's your team like?
At the moment, we're a fairly small team, made up of... two women. In the morning: Marine is in the shop and I'm in production. In the afternoon: I leave my stoves for the boutique. It's a time I really enjoy, as it gives me a chance to meet the customers and find out how they feel and what they want.
You prepare weekly menus, offer a great range of snacks, use your imagination for desserts. Do you have any favourite products, or specialities perhaps?
I like to offer traditional dishes and pastries, but also give free rein to the inspiration of the moment. Of course, seasonality is essential, as is the origin of my raw materials.
I have to admit that my Moroccan-style carrot salad is my signature dish, so to speak, and customers have adopted it. My gluten-free brownies with hazelnuts and almonds and my cookies are also a big hit!
What's more, I like to innovate every week, so that I never get bored and always offer more varieties to tempt gourmets. For the time being, everyone's playing along and it's a real bond that's developed between us.
You say "present" for special orders, such as aperitif dinners or brunches for weddings. How many people can you cater for?
I study each request according to the quantity required. In general, I can cater for around 50 people. However, if it's just a entremet, I can extend the range to 100 people. Of course, I can also prepare complete meals for 10 to 30 people.
I don't offer a turnkey service, because that would involve delivery and set-up, for example. However, when there's a partnership with Emotions sans modération, my neighbour, the service can be provided.
Carte blanche now... Would you like to add a detail?
Customers can consult the weekly menu in the shop, or on Instagram.
I also make a tablet available in the shop so that they can see the suggestions by category and what can be made to order. It's all interactive, so you can see how our gourmets react to a recipe, and even discuss their wishes and expectations with them. As I said earlier, it's always a pleasure to be in the shop and to listen to the expectations of our regulars and day visitors. It helps me to fine-tune my offer and add variety. A great gastronomic collaboration!
Many thanks to Danaê for her contribution to this article.
The right address: Une pincée de sel, 51 rue principale, 30700 Montaren-et-Saint-Médiers. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 7.20am to 1pm, Sundays 7.20am to 1pm. Tel: 04 66 75 58 32. Follow Une pincée de sel on Instagram.