Pastry Meet Up Brings Vancouver’s Pastry Community Together
Tuesday, May 12, 2026, the Chefs’ Table Society hosted another successful Pastry Meet Up Series event at The Commons, welcoming around 20 attendees for an evening of learning, conversation, and community.
The event featured French pastry chef Julien Salomoni, who presented a thoughtful and inspiring talk titled “From French Pastry Training to Vancouver.” Over the course of a two-hour presentation, Julien shared his journey through the pastry world — from his strict classical training in Paris, to working internationally in Singapore, and eventually building a new life and career in Vancouver.
More than just speaking about recipes and desserts, Julien focused on the deeper values behind pastry and professional kitchens. He spoke about discipline, adaptability, consistency, and resilience, explaining how French pastry training helped shape not only his technical skills, but also his mindset and work ethic.
One of the main themes of the evening was the importance of mastering foundations before focusing on creativity. Julien explained how pastry relies heavily on structure, precision, temperature, timing, and repetition. He encouraged attendees to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process and emphasized that true growth often comes through experience and failure rather than immediate success.
He also spoke openly about the realities of the culinary industry, including pressure, teamwork, communication, and the importance of staying humble and reliable in fast-paced kitchen environments. His reflections on mentorship and supporting the next generation particularly resonated with many of the students and young professionals in attendance.
The evening created a welcoming and engaging environment for chefs, students, pastry professionals, and pastry enthusiasts to connect with one another. After the presentation, many guests stayed to continue discussions, ask questions, network, and share their own experiences within the industry.
The event highlighted the growing strength of Vancouver’s pastry community and Chefs’ Table Society’s ongoing commitment to creating educational and community-focused experiences for culinary professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Special thanks to Camille Sauvagnac, CTS Competion Co-Chair & Adminstrator for organizing the Pastry Meet Up program!