Ten years ago, the Younes family brought the first macaron and creme brulee to Hong Kong through Paul Lafayet. Today, demand for the French dessert is still going strong and the family remains at the forefront of the business.
Even though family patriarch Toni turns 60 next year, retirement is not an option.
Paul Lafayet was founded 10 years ago, but the story of the Younes family with French desserts began more than 50 years ago.
"In France, pastries are on every street corner," said Toni. "Since I was a child, there was always creme brulee and lemon tarts around the corner. I used to have them twice a week."
But sweets also have a special place in the home too.
"It is very common for the French to have sweets after each meal. In my family, my mother and grandmother were responsible for the baking, while the men cooked."
This tradition was then passed onto his sons. Instead of playing football, Christophe and his older brother Merwann preferred to cook and bake.
"When I was four, I started baking Christmas cookies," said Christophe. "Since I was10, the four of us took turns to cook dinner every day."
Despite their lack of professional training, the brothers even made a tower of 200 macarons for their father's 49th birthday. Christophe was only 16 back then, with macarons requiring a high level of skill.
"The heat, humidity, quality of materials matter," said Christophe.
"I spent about four to five hours finishing the tower with my brother."
But while desserts were an everyday part of the family's lives, it wasn't the case for many Hongkongers.
"In the late 1990s, there were many coffee shops, but we could only find nice cakes in five-star hotels," said Toni, recalling his visits to Hong Kong with his boys in the late 1990s and the 2000s.
It was inconceivable to him that there were no nice desserts on the street corners.
"So we wanted to make five-star hotel desserts accessible to everyone."
The boys agreed with their father that Hong Kong would be the best place to share their sweet tasting baking.
"We wanted to do something with our hobby," said Christophe. "And Hong Kong was a good place to start because there was curiosity in the market, and I always loved the energy here."
It was not easy. The Younes family managed to find experienced French chefs as consultants, but the weather proved to be a headache.
"Hong Kong is humid and this was the barrier for macarons. We had to take time to adjust the recipe," said Toni.
"Second, it is a big challenge to deliver from a place of production to several shops and yet maintain the desserts at the same quality as when they were produced."
Each family member played his part.
"In the beginning, I was still in university," said Christophe. "I would come to the stores on the weekends to help out, explain the new desserts to the customers, and train the staff."
Today, he is in charge of product development and decorations, while Merwann focuses on the finance side. "I am in charge of communication and partnerships," said Toni.
Even after 10 years, Paul Lafayet hasn't changed since it started.
"Quality means that it has to be the same regardless of time," said Toni.
He stressed the importance of quality.
"In 2010, a kilogram of vanilla beans cost HK$800, The cost has risen 10 times since then but we still use the same bean from Madagascar."
The taste of the desserts can be the same, but can also be different sometimes. "We are offering French heritage desserts, but not limited to it," said Christophe. "We add new flavors, textures, elements, looks and designs, as well as engage in new partnerships."
But Toni never likes to limit himself and is already looking for the next challenge.
"He is far from being tired of the business," said Christophe.
The father and son both believe Paul Lafayet still has a lot of space to grow. "People are growing with us, the online team, people in accounting, the kitchen," said Toni.
The dessert boutique has expanded in the mainland in the past two years and is planning more stores in southeast Asia.
