Fauchon and Arnaud Larher: the Paris house of 1886 puts pastry back at its heart

Fauchon has long been more than a pastry shop: pastry, fine foods, hotels, restaurants and catering carry the name to more than 20 countries. On 5 May 2025 the house put pastry back at the centre of its strategy. Fauchon took a majority stake in the house of Arnaud Larher, in its own words one of the most talented artisans of his generation, who keeps a minority share.

A return to the source

The move came one year after Fauchon was bought by Galapagos, a group from Brittany, and it is part of the relaunch led by the president of Fauchon, Jérôme Tacquard, who wants the house to be a high place of French gastronomy again. It also follows a long habit: the house has a history of revealing the great names of French pastry. Pierre Hermé, Christophe Michalak and Cédric Grolet all wrote a chapter of its story.

“Arnaud Larher embodies rigour, precision and daring, and his vision fully matches the values of Fauchon,” says Tacquard, adding that the partnership brings, once again, a Breton touch to the house.

The star of Montmartre

Arnaud Larher comes from Brest and moved to Paris in 1991 to finish his training in great houses, among them Fauchon, where he spent five formative years. In 1997, at only 25, he opened his first boutique in Montmartre and quickly became known as the star of the neighbourhood. He went on to perfect his chocolate work, opened three more addresses over the years and in 2007 won the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France. He is known for a flawless technique and for reinventing the classics: his baba au rhum, his lemon tart and his praline mille-feuille.

What it means for the boutiques

The first creations signed by Arnaud Larher were announced for the months after the deal: chocolates and pastries co-signed with Fauchon, sold in the Fauchon boutiques in Paris and internationally. Larher also makes his own laboratory available for developing them. “Joining Fauchon is obvious,” says Larher, describing it as a chance to push the limits of pastry creation and to imagine new pleasures together.

A house in a hurry

The pastry plan is part of a wider push abroad. Fauchon described itself at the time as an ecosystem of French luxury that combines pastry, fine foods, hospitality, restaurants and catering, and announced openings in Doha, in Dubai and a return to New York for 2025, with the ambition of doubling in size within five years. Its hotel business, started in Paris and Japan, was to grow under licence with two new hotels in Saudi Arabia in 2026.

For anyone who queues at Paris counters, the interesting part is simple: a Meilleur Ouvrier de France back in the house where he once trained, and his name on the pastries of Fauchon.