World Pastry Champion, Chef Dimitri Fayard began his
culinary training at the Lycée Pardailhan in Auch, France. He received his Certificat d’Aptitude Professionel de Cuisine (or
CAP de Cuisine) and his CAP Pâtisserie, both French
diplomas for culinary and pastry training which took four
years to complete. He then began working with Chef Philippe
Uracca, M.O.F. (Meilleur Ouvrier de France meaning Best Craftsman in France) in Auch, France producing pastries for
three of his highly acclaimed shops.
He left France for the first time and came to the United States
in 1998 at age 19 to work for François Payard at his renowned shop in New York City. While at Payard’s, he had
the opportunity to work under another M.O.F., Jean Philippe
Maury. During this time, he also met his future wife and
fellow pastry chef, Keli, who had worked at The French
Pastry School as an assistant in 1997 and later introduced
Dimitri to Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F.
Fayard reunited with his mentor, Jean Philippe Maury,
M.O.F. in Las Vegas as one of Maury’s Assistant Pastry Chefs at the Bellagio Hotel. He was responsible for a team of
11 other pastry professionals, and pastry production for four
restaurants, a 24-hour café, two pastry shops, room service
desserts, and all wedding cakes.
After working at the Bellagio for two years, he teamed up
with his former colleague, Laurent Branlard, a World Pastry
Champion, whom he had first met while working at Philippe
Uracca’s in France.
They worked together at the Ritz-Carlton Corporate Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. During this period,
Fayard won three gold medals at the Atlanta Pastry Classic Competition in 2001.
Chef Fayard came to Chicago in 2002 as part of the opening
team at the Hotel Sofitel Water Tower as the Executive Pastry
Chef at the young age of 23. Just one year later, opened his
own business in Chicago, Vanille Pâtisserie, with his wife,
Keli Fayard. Their upscale French pastry shop specializes in
tarts, entremets, chocolate candies, breakfast pastries, and
wedding cakes.
Fayard continued to challenge himself and receive
recognition. In 2007, he was named one of the Top Ten
Pastry Chefs in America by Pastry Art & Design and
Chocolatier magazines. In 2008, he returned to the
competition arena in the World Pastry Championship in Nashville, Tennessee. Alongside Stéphane Tréand, M.O.F.
and Laurent Branlard, Fayard helped the United States team
take the gold medal becoming a World Pastry Champion. Fayard was admitted as an Academician into the Académie
Culinaire de France in 2009.
Having learned from masters, working in many different
sectors in the industry on two continents, and winning
prestigious competitions, Fayard is thrilled to bring his
experience and passion to his students at The French Pastry
School in teaching the cakes, tarts and entremets part of the
24-week program, and to inspire them as a mentor.
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