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“I’ve never really enjoyed making simple cakes.” It may come as a surprise that these words were spoken by Jeff Oberweis, pastry chef of the well-known Luxembourgish family business, Oberweis. Yet when you look at this passionate chef’s past, it all makes sense.
As the son of a pâtissier, he could have learned the art of pastry making alongside his father in the family kitchen, but this was of no interest to him as a youngster. “I didn‘t really know what I wanted to do with my life; only that I wanted to work with my hands,” recalls Oberweis.
The turning point came during a trip to Paris on New Year’s Day in 1984, when he visited Lucien Peltier’s pâtisserie with his parents. It was while admiring one of the sweet masterpieces in the window that Oberweis decided this would be his profession. “I was instantly inspired by the creativity and technique of the craft. I immediately asked Chef Peltier if I could join his apprenticeship programme without even running the idea past my parents first,” Oberweis confides with a smile. In Paris, he found himself among colleagues who had already passed the CAP Pâtissier (certificate of professional competence for pâtisserie). Oberweis had to work hard to learn everything there was to know about working with sugar as well as the intricate art of pastry decorating. A perfectionist in the workplace, he threw himself into the craft, training and competing to become a creative pastry chef… meaning not a simple sponge cake in sight.
Back in the family pâtisserie, Oberweis is put in charge of layered cakes, birthday cakes and all decorating. After many years of perfecting the creation process, his way of working has evolved. “Mastering a recipe is an extremely lengthy process, but once I’ve perfected the technique, I like to delve a little deeper to explore the recipe’s foundations.” This step backwards can only be done once the creative process has been perfectly mastered. “I go back to my recipe books, pull out the techniques I learned and try to understand the recipes. I examine the role of each ingredient and think of ways to work with them to get the very best out of them.”
“Mastering a recipe is an extremely lengthy process, but once I’ve perfected the technique, I like to delve a little deeper to explore the recipe’s foundations.”
This is how hard this chef works to fine-tune all his recipes. Most recently, he has been working on improving the ganaches used in Oberweis chocolates. For this project, he collaborated with his brother Tom — the chocolate expert of the family — who makes his own chocolates, starting with the bean. “It’s exciting because I can ask him very specifically what I need in terms of composition or fat content, for instance, to make my creations. This means I get to use a perfect raw ingredient that guarantees a better end result.”
He is so proud of the active role he has played in developing the family business, which has become much more than just a pâtisserie, with restaurants, a chocolate factory and a catering service. “My role as a craftsman has lessened. I have to delegate certain tasks to my staff so that I can concentrate on the business side of things.”
Oberweis does not regret this change. Quite the contrary, in fact. “I have no problem admitting that my team are better at decorating than I am. And I’m very proud of that! Unlike me, they have time to invest in this painstakingly detailed work. And everything I now do is just as exciting.” He enjoys passing on his technical knowledge, working alongside his chefs from whom he learns a lot, and developing plans for the future — for example, Oberweis House laboratory to be built in Munsbach.
Being a creative perfectionist with a passion, he (literally) has his fingers in many pies, striving to deliver the very best to his customers. “Let’s take my croissants as an example. After a lot of experimentation, I opted for French flour and Isigny butter. I use Luxembourgish produce for other recipes but, for a croissant, I am convinced that these are the best ingredients.” He promotes these standards of excellence alongside Pierre Hermé and other great names in pastry-making within the international association, Relais Desserts, of which he is vice-president. Will he ever stop? We are hesitant to ask, as this chef still has a burning desire to further perfect the pastries he offers to his many loyal customers every day — and we can’t wait to see what he dreams up.
OBERWEIS
1, rue Guillaume J. Kroll — L-1882 Luxembourg
Tel. +352 / 40 31 40 1