There is a place in Jeddah where every lover of French-inspired cakes and desserts will have the time of their life. Here you will find Frenchman Chef Dominique Brun, Executive pastry chef of the chain of Leylaty restaurants, the master of the wedding cake and pastries with more than 20 years' experience in the field Chef Brun has already spent 11 years in Saudi Arabia. He has a team of 40 chefs, with his three special assistants from France, who have extensive experience from Europe. They make cakes and pastries to order, whether it is for weddings, parties or birthdays. “We have samples of cakes for customers' convenience, and they can choose from pictures or albums we have at our shop,” he said in an interview with Saudi Gazette. “At the new Bon Bon, we have a special place for customers to sit and decide what they want. They can talk to the chef, who is always there to assist and offer advice from shape to ingredients and taste. If someone wants to order something with special sugar requirements, they can do so,” he explained. Brun remarked that they focus on delivering individual pastries every day, including handmade chocolates, biscuits, cookies, ice cream, cakes and fresh bread. The team prepares almost 400 items every day. If there is a wedding or party, they can make more than 1,000 pastries. Their kitchen is open 24 hours. Customers can order butter cakes, cheese cakes, coffee cakes, chiffon and genoises, fruit cakes, jelly roll cakes, layer cakes, pound cakes, sheet cakes, sponge cake, tiramisu, vosgien cake, tranche cake, special wedding cakes and many more. “A special cake takes almost one whole day to prepare but it also depends on the size of the cake and what the customer wants. A wedding cake of three meters or more will take more time; it also depends on the decoration and shape and style,” Brun explained. He added that they prepare the chocolates, cakess and all the pastries fresh at the kitchen and deliver them every day to customers, at their restaurants and shops. Brun commented that the team are always looking to introduce new flavors and tastes every three months and are always focused on quality. “We can't compromise on quality. All our products are fresh,” he stated. Brun started working in France at Croissant and Pies for a while, and then left for Mexico City where he stayed for seven years. From there he went to the United States and then came back to Pies, where he worked for some time and moved to another famous French restaurant as a chef. In 2000, he joined Leylaty. “When I came here it was like a dream and I have had a very nice experience working in Saudi Arabia, preparing desserts for Saudi people. There is not much difference working here compared to France,” he remarked. Brun has introduced new desserts, such as one called Strawberry Bon Bon Tart, which is made completely from candy and is very light to eat. Another creation, which is very popular, is lollypops made from chocolate and raspberry or blueberry. “The dessert's shape is like a lollypop, but it's an ice cream. We also produce chocolate mousse with raspberry, and blueberry with white ice cream,” he explained. “The basic ingredients of the lollypops are raspberry jam and sponge. We make chocolate sponge only with cocoa (without flour) and chocolate mousse. We dip it in the chocolate to give it the shape of a lollypop. It's really delicious and popular with our customers,” he added. Brun explained that the most important thing in his line of business is how to combine the flavors or different ingredients to create the best taste. Some examples of this include creating chocolate mousse with the flavors of tea, spices, lemon and some other combinations. “Sometimes it's difficult to come up with a new idea or taste, but with time and team work, it's not impossible,” he remarked. Brun said that they also keep an eye on producing healthier creations, especially for people with diabetes. “Today's world is much more health conscious and people mostly require items with much lower levels of sugar, which is not our style, because without sugar you can't prepare a dessert. But yes, we do use sweeteners if a customer requires it. Chocolate is good for one's health, especially dark chocolate. Milk chocolate is more sweet and Saudi people seem to prefer it more,” he said. Brun remarked that the Leylaty group of restaurants have opened their doors to Saudis and are currently training nine Saudi women in their pastry shops. Another group of 30 women are scheduled to join later.
