Meet David Piquard, born in Metz (the Alsace-Lorraine region) of France, and 20-year veteran of the French culinary scene. Recognized by his fellow chefs as gifted with the “golden hand”—la main d’or—for pastry, he left a promising career as a top tier chef in the Paris restaurant scene to pursue his true love, designing and creating the finest, most beautiful pastries in the world. He first discovered his love for the art as a young boy at his grandfather’s side—Jules Piquard, whose dream of opening a pastry shop was never realized. 

 

​​Fred and Lori Rongier, proprietors of Paris 66, the popular Eastside bistro, wanted to share their love of authentic French pastry with Pittsburgh by investing in the best talent they could find. While traveling in France, they reached out to long-time friend David to be Head Pastry Chef of Paris66. You may have been lucky enough to sample his work there or at a recent wedding, where his signature macarons have become a Pittsburgh favorite. In working together, they discovered that David's talent needed a bigger "stage," and that Fred's grandfather, Gabriel, also had an unfulfilled dream of opening a patisserie in France.