Interview with Alessia di Loreto, head pastry chef at a starred restaurant

Today we’d like to introduce you to pastry chef Alessia di Loreto and her spicy creations! She works at the 1 Michelin-starred Restaurant Le St Estève, nestled in the heart of the hotel Les Lodges Sainte Victoire in Aix-en-Provence, in the South of France, a sublime family home. We introduce you to chef Alessia in this article:

Can you tell us more about your background? How did you fall in love with pastry-making?

A.D. I started pastry-making in 2015 after completing a course of university studies. Ever since I was a child I’d been fascinated by my grandmother, she wasn’t a pastry chef but she loved making cakes and I used to watch her all the time. Patisserie was always my dream, so I left everything behind to become a pastry chef. I finished pastry school in Italy and after my training course I decided to go abroad to learn more. I worked in Spain in a very famous shop (Dolç by Yann Duytsche) where I learnt a lot and then in a 3 Michelin star restaurant, but the main objective was Paris. In 2017 I finally arrived in the capital of France, and of course of desserts! I worked at Michalak’s, at the Plaza Athénée and as an extra at Le Meurice.
After that, I started working seasonally, again in some very fine establishments, in Courchevel: Le Chabichou and Les Airelles, and in Biarritz at the Hotel du Palais. I arrived in Aix en Provence in 2020, where I worked for 2 years at the Chateau de la Gaude, and in 2022 I became Chef at the Restaurant Le St Estève, where I’m still working today.

Do you have a favourite dessert?

A.D. My favourite desserts are fruit desserts. I love working with fruit according to the season, using very little sugar to get the real taste of the product.
Another thing I’ve been working on for the last 2/3 years is creating gluten-free and vegan pastries. It’s very complicated to find a balanced recipe without milk, butter, eggs and gluten, but I like to get out of my comfort zone and take the risk. Today’s customers are increasingly looking for gluten-free and lactose-free products and we have to try to satisfy them.
I don’t have a real “Proust’s madeleine”, but I do have a soft spot for the Black Forest, which I don’t hesitate to revisit during the cherry season.

How did you come up with the idea of adding spices to your recipes?

A.D. The idea came from watching my boyfriend use your spices at home. He’s a chef and after several discussions with him I started testing your spices in my desserts and the results were surprising! I just loved it!

What are your favourite recipes that combine spices and sweetness for late Summer? and Autumn?

A.D. For late summer, I’ve decided to use Cardamom for figs and Red Long Pepper for blackberries, and for autumn I’m thinking of pears and I’d like to use Ginger.

Which spices do you like working with the most?

A.D. I love using Long Pepper with red fruits, black fruits and figs.
Another successful combination is pears with your Chai Mix.
The most surprising was the combination of Smoked Sweet Long Chili and dark chocolate.

How did you discover La Plantation?

A.D. It was thanks to my boyfriend who, being a chef, discovered you during a trip to Kampot in Cambodia and visited your Plantation. Since his trip he’s never changed his spice supplier!

Are there any of our spices that you haven’t yet discovered?

A.D. Here are some of the spices I’d like to discover in pastries: Red Kampot Pepper, Flower of Turmeric, Young Ginger, Wild Galangal, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Cardamoms, Star Anise, and Cinnamon, Hibiscus Powder, Ginger Petals, and of course Palm Flower Sugar.

Thank you to the chef Alessia di Loreto for these beautiful and delicious creations and for telling us more about your work!