Meet Marie Delepiere | French Pastry Chef
We had the good fortune of connecting with Marie Delepiere and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Marie, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
Growing up in Provence offers a unique experience in life. This part of France has a rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, and a vibrant culinary tradition. My countryside is renowned for its flavorful cuisine. The local markets are filled with colorful products providing a feast of the senses.
Growing up in that environment allowed me to connect deeply with the beauty of our Earth. My body and cells understood the sun setting over the lavender fields, needed the windy mistral-like oxygen and fells resonant with much of the wild. There is magic, something intangible, something precious and delicate, maybe the golden light that caresses your soul or the sounds of cicadas reminding you how much this land is alive.
I have always been interested in nourishment. Is it the echoes of my origins? Is it the memory of my great grandfather who was a baker in the northern France in a bakery called “The independent”? Is it the imprint of knowing deep in my cells what nourishment really is? But for sure my land has been my first source of inspiration.
I grew up in a family of six in a big house surrounded by vineyards and cherry trees. My dad was a very passionate landscape architect. With four kids, my mom wasn’t very dedicated to cooking. Very early on, I took charge of cooking in the evenings and weekends for the whole family. I learned to roll up my sleeves, look at the pantry, pore over recipe books, try, experiment, fail and cook.
I remember cooking after school and during my summer holidays, going to the farmers’ market and smelling the fantastic scents of peaches, cantaloupe, tomatoes, and basil, and then coming back home and experimenting in the kitchen. During my teenage years, I was the Chef in the house, and it was a refuge for me because my family was going through trauma after trauma. There is a relationship with pastry and cooking that is both destructive and restorative. It reminds me of that painful period in which I found my inner peace.
I then distanced myself from this passion for a few years to focus on my law and criminology studies. I was living my student life in Aix-en-Provence, in a small apartment with my sister where I couldn’t really cook. About 10 years later, when I moved to Paris, I reconnected to my mission. I met my first love who was Italian, and we traveled a lot in Puglia where his grandmother was from. She taught me the Italian pasta secrets and reignited my passion. She was absolutely obsessed with food and used to wake me up at 7 in the morning with a fresh fish under my nose.
One day, while working in Parisian theaters and radio stations, my life took another direction when I
crossed paths with the man with whom I would share a big part of my life and who gave me my special son. He taught Vietnamese Martial Arts and run a well-known Vietnamese restaurant in Paris. He took me along on his family adventures even though I had never worked in a restaurant before. We opened a second restaurant and a catering business, published a cookbook, met all the best chefs, and traveled the world to get inspired again and again, until the day when New York called me.
I instantly fell in love with the energy of the city, and had that feeling you can’t explain of “déjà vu”. The process of immigration was very difficult and painful. We lost a lot in that story, but I have always felt that I took the best decision of my life. We arrived one year before covid, and I was working in the hospitality industry when Covid surprised and blocked the whole of humanity.
I remember sitting on my couch a few days after the lockdown wondering how I would survive in that city. My life flashed by like a movie and I realized that I had put my dream on hold and that it was the best opportunity to take responsibility and realize it. What better place than New York to make your dreams come true. I took action right then and there and made a post on Instagram, which led to my first orders. Everything was closed and I didn’t take many risks. At first, I was all over the place, agreeing to make any pastry someone would imagine. Of course, I made a few mistakes that allowed me to ask myself the right questions and structure my business with a menu, suppliers and the use of social media. Word of mouth worked well, and I was swamped with orders when I decided to move to Los Angeles for many reasons. My life took yet another turn of exploration… which included a separation, a new professional community to build, a new environment to explore, amidst Covid and numerous other challenges which gave me more strength.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My journey took me down a unique path within the food industry. I attribute this to being a woman, a mother, a free spirit, independent and creative. Food allows me to connect deeply with my soul, my family, my friends, my community and with strangers. I’m very active but try to stay calm. I always look at my thousand ideas in a positive light, with a smile and with determination. I try to live with the powerful strength given to me by my roots, and to be moved by the energy of the heart with every breath I take while creating my pastries. After this challenging road of exploration and commitment, I decided a few months ago to change my business name. I was looking for a new name that would speak to me and to others, a name that could
resonate with who I am, a name that could invite feelings of tenderness, a name that could awaken the taste buds. I chose AIMER, which is the anagram of Marie. It came to me in a dream, and I decided to follow my heart and intuition. Aimer in French means to Love.
To love who we are, to love what we become, to love each other, to love the planet that has always been so generous to us. I wanted to honor LOVE in its creative and infinite power, in all its completeness.
I infuse pastry with positive thoughts and intentions. Focusing on happy memories with good vibes and gratitude while preparing my creations and most of all sharing them with the world, which adds an extra layer of love and thoughtfulness and makes them even more special and enjoyable. It’s the act of sharing and spreading love that reflects who I am.
Like the French pianist Sofiane Pamart does with music, I tune and harmonize the notes of flavors, textures, colors to compose my own recipes. I constantly want to deliver high quality, visually beautiful desserts that taste as good as they look. I approach pastry with mindfulness and presence. I take my time to think, create, choose my ingredients, measure them carefully, savor the textures and aromas and appreciate the journey from raw ingredients to a finished product. I always remain committed to continuous improvement and challenge myself to evolve.
Baking with love involves putting your heart and soul into the process, infusing your creations with care, passion, and intention. It means creating food that not only tastes delicious but also carries the warmth and positive energy you put into it.
I dedicate my life more than ever to loving our planet. Working with more consciousness means taking care of our ecosystem, knowing the process, meeting the farmers, and all the workers who participate to preserve this ecosystem. I’m a woman who is very active but calm. I always look at a thousand projects in a positive light, with a smile and determination, a contagious sweet taste and some principles that don’t fit into a box. My journey is about co-creating with other human beings with love, intelligence, and authenticity.
Respecting the French tradition and following my passion means understanding and appreciating the craftsmanship, skill and cultural significance that goes into baking pastry. It involves following traditional techniques and using quality ingredients to respect our authentic savoir faire. I always opt for locally sourced and organic ingredients. This supports local farmers and reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation. Organic ingredients also promote environmentally friendly agricultural practices that avoid harmful pesticides and fertilizers. I only use French organic flour and butter, which ensures the best quality and reduces gluten issues. By making mindful choices throughout the baking process, I can minimize waste, conserve resources, and support eco-friendly practices. Each small choice I make, from the selection of ingredients, to packaging and waste reduction contributes to love and respect for our planet and encourages others to do the same and spread awareness.
In the last few months, I have been focusing my business on transmitting my savoir faire with baking classes and continue to explore what food means to me and how pastry is such a vital part of our world. My purpose is to create memories which can resonate with life and for my sweet delights to evoke memorable moments. Customers contact me on my Instagram page and order from there most of the time.
I am also working on a new project which will enable me to share my global vision. My dream is to create a space where I can gather talents around culinary arts in the respect of the Earth. I’m looking for a professional kitchen where I can extend my business and create with other talents. Everything remains possible. Let’s continue to believe, to dream, to trust, to Love.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My best friends came last winter from Paris and it was their first time in LA. We went to Joshua Tree exploring the wildlife and Palm Spring mountains where we had some snow at the top.
I love to bring my friends in nature because California is so special and beautiful. I love to share with them what inspires me.
I always take my friends or family to Malibu pier to take a coffee and admire the view and dolphins.
And to have a fun night, the best place is town is the Barlis, a jazz club on a rooftop where we can listen fantastic singers and having a nice cocktail.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To my great grandfather Maurice who was a baker at the “Indépendante” to Lille, to my Cricri who is my angel protector since she passed away I was 11 years old… and to
my sister who is my talented photographer and videographer and that she is always by my side, encouraged me and gave me her unconditional love.
And to all the beautiful souls who were or are in my life. Much Love and light
Instagram: @aimermarie.fr
Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/marie-delepière-05b2359b
Facebook: Marie Delepiere
Youtube: @delepieremarie5849
Image Credits
@cecile.delepiere My talented sister who is the photographer
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