James

About James Travouillon - owner and operator of Paris Pâtisserie Française & Tarte Elysée

James Travouillon was born in 1950 in the Loire Valley in France, where the profession of pastry chef had been a tradition for three generations of the Travouillon family.

His first ambition was to succeed as a pastry chef and he completed his apprenticeship under his father in the family pastry shop. In 1969, he achieved his certificate of professional aptitude in pastry, confectionery and ice-cream making.

James then continued to hone his skills by undertaking further professional training and working with many accomplished chefs including Gaston Lenôtre, in Paris, Pierre Hermé (Fauchon – Pierre has since expanded into designing new cakes and is renowned for his macaroons and chocolates), Pascal Brunstein (winner of the Meilleur ouvrier de France in Pastry), Yves Thuriès (famous for his school and his Pastry Encyclopedia) and Joel Bellouet known for his school and his books.

At the end of 1998, James sold his pastry shop in Angoulemes to bring his talents to Sydney where his two sons had already been living for three years. In 1999, James worked for Jacques Chaboisseau, who had owned and operated Paris Pâtisserie Française for nearly 30 years. James then bought Paris Pâtisserie Française from Jacques the following year.

Since then, James has achieved yet another of his professional goals, by successfully developing a new retail concept showcasing his accomplished skills in the making of tarts and home made ice-cream. In October 2002, James opened Tarte Elysée: sweet and savoury tarts for all seasons at Westfield Eastgardens, which has won its reputation of excellence since.

James now travels between France and Australia to sharpen his skills and stay abreast of the newest French trends in cake and chocolate making.

James is addicted to his work, especially making beautiful cakes, croqu’embouches, birthday and wedding cakes. He made his own wedding cake in August 2007. He spends his leisure time studying recipe books and cake-making literature. He simply enjoys the art of making superb French cakes and pastries. 

Web site photography by Kenny Travouillon and Annie Kao.

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