1200 ECLAIRS IN 10 HOURS ... CHEF’S BUSY BASTILLE DAY

ONE of Hobart's top pastry chefs says it is no rest for the wicked, as Covid staffing issues and Thursday’s Bastille Day celebrations means he is on a diet of work days of up to 18 hours.

“On the weekend I will have a bit of time, Sunday afternoon I can relax,” said Jean Pascal Lepretre, owner of New Town’s popular JeanPascal Patisserie.

Mr Lepretre said he was in the kitchen until 11pm on Wednesday cooking up 1200 eclairs in preparation for the French holiday, before returning at 5am on Thursday to steer the pastry ship through a punishing day’s trade, owing to three staff members being struck down with Covid.

“I was a bit surprised, I was thinking I would have some [eclairs] for tomorrow and the weekend, but they are almost all gone. This morning I could see people queuing,” he said.

Mr Lepretre said in France it was common for technicolour eclairs to crowd out windows and display cabinets, but he believed Australian tastes did not run to unnaturally coloured pastries, so he stuck to the classics, such as pistachio and orange. The renowned chef, who founded Jean-Pascal Patisserie in 2002 after a global career that started in his family’s famous patisserie in the Normandy town of Bolbec, said Bastille Day in France usually wrapped up with a family barbecue and viewing of fireworks.

“The thing I remember is going out after a long day, get a beer down, relax with friends and look at the fireworks,” he said.

“But I am afraid I will have to start again at 5am, we are very low on cake for tomorrow.”