After months of speculation around the departure of star pastry chef François Perret, the legendary Place Vendôme palace has opted for a subtle, almost discreet shift. Instead of appointing a single successor, the hotel is reshaping its entire pastry structure, entrusting its future to two chefs who already know the house inside out.
A shared legacy after François Perret’s departure
For years, the pastry identity of the Ritz Paris was closely associated with one man: François Perret. His departure at the end of August left more than an empty office. It raised a strategic question for the palace: should one chef really carry the full weight of such a powerful brand?
The answer, effective from 1 January, is a clear no. The Ritz has decided to split responsibilities between two pastry chefs, each with a defined field of action. The aim is to protect the exacting standards of the house, while allowing space for different creative voices.
The Ritz Paris is moving from a “single star chef” model to a more collective, complementary pastry leadership.
This shift reflects a broader trend across luxury hotels. Demands have grown: breakfast buffets, afternoon tea, Michelin-level restaurant desserts, boutique counters, room service, events. Expecting one person to oversee every tart, cake and chocolate from concept to service has become increasingly unrealistic.
A teacher steps into the limelight: Olivier Lainé at the palace
On the palace side, the Ritz has chosen continuity through an internal promotion. The new face of high pastry in the hotel’s restaurant spaces is Olivier Lainé, a chef who, until now, has mostly been working behind the scenes.
For the past seven years, Lainé has been training students at the École Ritz Escoffier. Not the most glamorous role on paper, but one that placed him right at the core of the Ritz’s know-how. He has been shaping future professionals using the same standards applied in the palace kitchens.
A career built between Brittany and Parisian palaces
Lainé’s story is that of a quietly ambitious craftsman. He graduated in 2002, before heading to Brittany, building his experience in a region known for butter-rich, technically demanding pastry. He later joined Café Pouchkine, where he worked on the production of elaborate entremets, those multi-layered French cakes that demand both precision and stamina.
Another key stage came at the Shangri-La Paris, where he served as deputy pastry chef. That role familiarised him with the high expectations of luxury hospitality: flawless service, consistency, and permanent pressure to innovate.
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By choosing a chef already steeped in the Place Vendôme spirit, the Ritz is betting on someone who understands its DNA rather than a flashy outsider.
A style balancing tradition and contemporary twists
In comments reported in the French press, Lainé described his new role at the Ritz as a privilege shaped by emotion and history. He speaks of the hotel as an “infinite source of inspiration” and insists on one guiding line: keeping the heritage alive while adding his own vision.
His approach is clear: start with classic French foundations, then bring in subtle modern touches. He talks about “revisiting classics” through structure and texture, playing with layers of crunch, softness and melt-in-the-mouth elements.
- Crisp bases to bring contrast
- Soft, airy interiors for comfort
- Melting creams and ganaches for indulgence
For Lainé, flavour and texture are inseparable. The aim is not just to deliver pretty desserts, but to create a sequence of sensations. That philosophy will now guide the menus at the gourmet restaurant L’Espadon, in duet with chef Eugénie Béziat, as well as at Bar Vendôme, for tea time and breakfast service.
Ritz Paris Le Comptoir stays the course with Joris Theysset
If the palace side is now under the supervision of Lainé, the boutique arm of the brand, Ritz Paris Le Comptoir, has its own captain: Joris Theysset. His appointment signals another choice for internal talent rather than a prestige transfer from outside.
Theysset arrived at the Ritz in 2019 and was part of the founding team of Ritz Paris Le Comptoir alongside François Perret. First acting as his second-in-command, he became head of production in 2021, an operational role that gave him control over recipes, uniforms, timing and product consistency.
From Ardèche memories to Paris counters
Originally from Ardèche, a rural region in the south-east of France, Theysset was first trained there before heading to Paris, where he worked at Ladurée. That experience taught him large-scale pastry production and the codes of historic French maisons.
At the Ritz, he has gradually shifted from execution to authorship. Since November 2025, he has been signing his own creations for the boutiques, including a candy cane-inspired Yule log, “Sucre d’Orge”, developed for the festive season. That dessert acts almost as a manifesto for his style: comforting flavours, childhood echoes, and a polished but playful look.
Theysset speaks of a “sincere pastry”, drawn from the comforting sweets that marked his childhood and reworked for today’s customers.
He sees his new role as a logical continuation of his journey. In his own words, he wants to be the “guardian of creativity” at Ritz Paris Le Comptoir. That means staying faithful to the house spirit, while supporting its development beyond the walls of Place Vendôme through retail offerings and takeaway treats.
Two chefs, two missions, one brand
The distribution of roles between Lainé and Theysset is anything but symbolic. It reflects two different pastry ecosystems within the same brand.
| Chef | Main scope | Key focus |
|---|---|---|
| Olivier Lainé | Palace restaurants, bar, tea time, breakfast | Fine dining desserts, plated creations, guest experience on-site |
| Joris Theysset | Ritz Paris Le Comptoir boutiques (1st and 6th arrondissements) | Retail pastry, takeaway, signature cakes and seasonal creations |
Both chefs share a strong internal culture and a certain modesty. Neither arrives as an Instagram star chef parachuted into a golden kitchen. Their credibility comes from years of quiet work in the background.
For customers, this could translate into a consistent Ritz identity across contexts, from a plated dessert at L’Espadon to a cake picked up at Le Comptoir. The names may be different, but the standards and the reference universe remain shared.
What this means for pastry fans
For pastry lovers travelling to Paris, this transition raises a simple question: what can they expect on the plate or in the box?
At the hotel, guests are likely to see classics with restrained updates. Think millefeuille with refined textures, fruit tarts with precise glazes and balanced acidity, or chocolate desserts playing on different roasting levels and temperatures. Lainé’s technical focus suggests carefully calibrated, layered constructions rather than visual gimmicks.
At Ritz Paris Le Comptoir, Theysset’s “comfort first” angle hints at reworked childhood desserts. Holiday logs inspired by boiled sweets, airy brioches, nostalgic flavours like vanilla, praline, chestnut or caramel, but presented with exacting detail. The target audience there includes both hotel clients and Parisians looking for a treat on the way home.
Why big hotels are turning to collective pastry leadership
This double appointment at the Ritz Paris also says something about the current pressures on high-end pastry. Luxury hotels need to balance media visibility with operational reliability.
As demand grows throughout the day, from breakfast buffets to late-night room service, the workload for pastry teams has exploded. Dividing responsibilities allows chefs to specialise and stay closer to execution, rather than spending their time in meetings or on photo shoots.
For younger professionals, this structure can also create more intermediate roles and career paths. Instead of one untouchable “chef” and a long line of anonymous commis, several leaders can share mentoring, innovation and day-to-day decisions.
How to read a dessert like a pro at the Ritz
For travellers planning a visit, understanding a few pastry terms can make the experience richer. When a menu mentions “entremets”, it generally refers to a multi-layered cake, often chilled or frozen, built around mousses, creams and crunchy inserts.
The idea of “texture play” that Lainé highlights is not just chef jargon. Next time you taste a dessert, try to identify, in each bite:
- The base: is it crisp, short, flaky, or slightly chewy?
- The middle: mousse, cream, fruit? Light or rich?
- The finish: glaze, sauce, crumble, or a burst of acidity?
Paying attention to these layers can change the way you evaluate a cake or tart. It also sheds light on the craft behind each forkful, particularly in places like the Ritz where every gram and second of baking is calculated.
For those inspired by Theysset’s idea of “sincere pastry”, there is also something to bring home. The concept rests on a simple base: start with flavours linked to memories – your grandmother’s apple pie, a school cafeteria pudding, the biscuit tin you raided as a child – and update them with better ingredients and cleaner techniques. You might not have the Ritz’s marble counters, but you can still borrow that emotional approach in your own kitchen.