This patisserie in the town of Carpentras in Provence is a fantastic discovery. On my last trip, I had the pleasure to meet Pierre Jouvaud who is actively involved in managing this third-generation business.
The patisserie itself is warm, colorful and inviting. The windows are beautifully decorated and draw you in with their magnificent variety of pastries and confections. Once inside, the aromas are seductive. The chocolates (my favorites are the ones with the nuts and candied fruits) are some of the best I have ever tasted, and I can’t wait to go back to try their canelle dipped in clementine syrup.
The real thrill for me, though, was being taken behind the scenes to see how the glaced fruit is made. It is created using the traditions of Pierre Jouvaud’s grandfather. Fresh, ripe fruit is cooked slowly at low temperatures in big copper pots in sugar syrup. The fruit is then re-cooked several times in a similar manner. The resulting product is full of ripe fruit flavor and has a soft, yet firm, consistency. It is truly an art to be able to make such a gorgeous and flavorful product. We tasted the apricots and they were over-the-top amazing.
One other observation that I made was that the packaging for the candies and gift items was absolutely beautiful. Pierre gave the credit for that to his sister. What lovely and tasty gifts their creations make! I brought home several boxes for family and friends. Everyone was delighted with the flavors and the presentation.
Patisserie Jouvard
40 rue de l’Eveche
84800 Carpentras, FRANCE
33 04 90 63 15 38