Today I have the pleasure to introduce you a talented vegan cook and pastry chef: Maddalena Lanciotti from La Véganerie.
Maddalena is Italian but she’s been living in Paris for 11 years.
It’s here that she started to study about pastry and recently got her CAP, the French diploma that allows you to become a professional pastry chef.
Today she tells us how everything got started and what her new project to come is all about.
Chiara: Why did you choose to become vegan?
Maddalena: At the beginning it was due to health issues. I started to eliminate lactose from my daily diet. Then I started to study about it, why I should eliminate animal proteins until I watched the video of Gary Yourofsky where he shares his vision of veganism from both an ethic and a health point of view. The most difficult part for me was to eliminate eggs as they are important in pastry making so I did it at last.
Chiara: I have noticed that you cook also gluten free, why?
Maddalena: Because I love to vary what I eat and I do enjoy gluten free grains and cereals like quinoa and rice. I avoid to eat processed foods and cook everything by myself. I have lots of fun when I create a new recipe.
Chiara: Why have you become a pastry chef?
Maddalena: My grandmother was a talented self-taught pastry chef. She inspired me then and she still does it today. Actually I studied to become a psychologist so for me pastry was a big change in my life. I am from Rome and when I moved to Paris, my husband offered me some cooking classes. So I started to learn and practise about pastry little by little. Then I decided to become a professional pastry chef and so I got the CAP diploma lately.
Pastry is my biggest passion in life: I love the rigour it requires, I enjoy its alchemy and when I go on holidays and I don’t have an oven, I kind of feel frustrated…!
Chiara: What is your next challenge?
Maddalena: Open a vegan coffee shop in Paris with gluten free options. It will be specialised in pastries from France, Italy, England and U.S. I also would like to create a “Happy breakfast” where people can choose their healthy bowls, both cold and hot. I also want it to be eco-friendly so I will encourage customers to come with their own box to buy pastries for example and it will cost them less. My biggest dream of all is to make a giant wedding cake!
Chiara: Which are your favourite vegan restaurants in Paris?
Maddalena: Cantine Primeur and Season square.
Chiara: …And your favourite cake? I am curious!
Maddalena: Mmmmh, I would say a good chocolate cake. But I also love the French lemon tart with meringue: its consistency, its flavour, pure perfection to me!
pS: to discover the fantastic recipe for these delicious vegan, gluten free granola tarts that Maddalena created for Baci di Dama, click here.
