Posted by Herve Lemonon on January 26, 2009
A
new organisation for Macau chefs is leading a
campaign to put the city's undoubted culinary
prowess on the map. Their strategy is simple,
food as a compliment to business
Read full article»cooking up a storm
Read full article»Chinese press 2007
Herve Lemonon, Pastry Chef of Mandarin Oriental
Macau, has been making desserts for 27 years. He
was first inspired by his grandfather, who is
also a pastry chef, at the age of 12
Read full article »
DKSH Club Gourmet - Your Gourmet Partner
18 November 2008
Success without Compromise
Herve Lemonon, Pastry Chef of Mandarin
Oriental Macau, has been making desserts for
27 years. He was first inspired by his
grandfather, who is also a pastry chef, at
the age of 12. Herve became a big fan of
his grandpa’s homemade desserts and decided
to become a pastry chef when he took the
apprenticeship in a cake shop in France at
14.
Herve has worked in many parts of the world
including the PLM M’Bamou Palace Hotel in
Congo, Africa, 3 Michelin Star Restaurant
Marc Heberlin in New Orleans, Sofitel Hotel
in Cannes, 3 Michelin Star Restaurant Michel
Lorain at Le Meridien Picadilly in London
and of course the Mandarin Oriental in
Macau.
The turning point of Herve’s career came in
2006, when he was invited to become one of
the judges for the World Chocolate Masters
National Pre-Selection for China by Barry
Callebaut, a world famous chocolate
manufacturer. He was the first time to be
a judge of a formal competition and was a
bit belittled by the fact that all other
chefs on the judge panel were well known
chefs who have won numerous awards from
professional competitions. Herve at the
time realized that he cannot just make
pastries in his kitchen but to enter
competitions and gain a wider scope of
experience.
Since then, Herve has been practicing his
skills and prepared himself for
competitions. In 2007 he has won the Gold
Medal of Professional Pastry Display
Showpiece organized by Hong Kong
International Culinary Classic at HOFEX in
Hong Kong as well as a Gold Medal in WGA in
Macao the same year. After winning these
competitions, he began to coach and
encourage his team members enter into
competitions and without fail; his team has
won one Silver Medal from the Chocolate
Showpiece Competition at WGA in 2007 and 2
Silver Medals in 2008.
Herve believes that one has to proof
himself/herself first before gaining respect
from others. “I always believe the best way
to coach my staff is to be part of the
team. Coaching takes a lot of dedication
and determination, all this extra work pays
off when you win a medal from the
competition. But the biggest happiness is
not about winning, it is about participating
and the experience that you gain during the
process. Never mind losing, putting the
showpiece on the competition table means
success already. You have to be proud of
your work, winning the game is merely a
bonus.”
Herve has been a supportive customer of DKSH
for a long time and regarded DKSH’s range of
products are of the best quality. “I’ve
been using Cacao Barry for over 20 years and
I can always count on DKSH, because I can be
sure I’m being well taken care of.” Herve
became a DKSH Ambassador in 2008.
Club Gourmet @ DKSH also helps Herve on the
coaching side too since the loyalty program
earns him Gourmet Points to redeem
professional tools and books to further
train his team on improving their skills.
Herve Lemonon is currently a voluntary
member of the Macau Culinary Association
with the aim to develop the culinary art and
skills of the young chefs in Macau. His
mainly takes care of all the competitions
with Christophe Duvernois, Executive Pastry
Chef of Macau Tower and President of the
Association. He is also a part-time pastry
teacher at IFT in Macao for 3 years.
