WINTER PARK, Fla. – Pastry chef François Paille, co-owner of Croissant Gourmet in Winter Park, is showcasing Central Florida’s baking talent on Food Network’s new competition show, Sweet Empire.
Paille, originally from Alsace in northeastern France near the German border, moved to the United States 14 years ago to open a macaron factory. Since then, he has worked in various hotels, restaurants and pastry shops before partnering with a friend, also named Francois, to open Croissant Gourmet.
“This is the first time they did this show,” Paille said of Sweet Empire. The competition began with 14 skilled contestants, each with unique strengths. “On the first competition, we had six winners, and the six of us started an empire by choosing other people. Little by little, we took more people in our empire and built a big team to win the competition.”
The challenges have been intense. The first was an individual competition. The second involved creating vintage toy-themed desserts, where Paille’s team made chocolate desserts inspired by SpongeBob for the movie release. The most recent challenge required making hyper-realistic food.
“It’s very stressful being under pressure and with all the cameras around,” Paille said. “I’m the only rookie on the show; everyone else has done seven or eight seasons. Luckily, I was one of the first six to start my empire, and I’m still here.”
Paille ensures his tasting elements reflect his French heritage and his new home in Florida. For example, in the toy-themed episode, his team created a train dessert featuring tasting elements like little oranges and a bomb with orange liqueur, nodding to Florida’s famous oranges. His teammate from St. Augustine helped represent the Florida team on the show.
Currently, Croissant Gourmet operates two bakeries in Winter Park: one on Park Avenue and Morse Boulevard, and another on Orange Avenue and West Orange Avenue, opened last January. They offer fresh baguettes, croissants, French-style breakfasts, pastries, wedding cakes and catering.
Paille noted the challenges of competing on the show, including limited space and equipment compared to his bakery. “Working with chocolate was complicated because of the conditions,” he said.
He praised the judges, Yolanda Gampp and Jack Torres. “Yolanda is an amazing artist, and Jack Torres is the highest grade you can have as a pastry chef in France. He’s my idol.”
Representing France on the show is an honor for Paille. “You cannot miss my accent. They even put subtitles for me because nobody can understand what I say,” he joked.
Sweet Empire airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on Food Network and streams the next day on HBO Max. The competition is now in the semifinals.
For the holidays, Croissant Gourmet is preparing a special treat called “Noel,” available at their Winter Park locations. Paille invites the community to visit and enjoy fresh French pastries.