Presentation
A pastry chef by the time he was 24 years old, Jean-Paul Hévin started out at the Hôtel Intercontinental and then worked at the Hôtel Nikko from 1976 until 1988, where he spent seven creative, discovery-filled years pursuing his craft alongside Joël Robuchon.
It was a piece of luck: Jean-Paul Hévin was invited to spend 18 months in Tokyo and take control of Peltier, a famous French pastry store that had been established in Japan a few years beforehand. This great opportunity gave him the chance to establish useful initial contacts in this country, which would quickly become his main home base and his favorite territory.
Being an esthete with good taste, the master pastry maker is blessed with a palate that never deceives him. He instinctively knows how to select the best ingredients, the finest wine, the best cigars, and-his top priority-the best ingredients for the production of chocolate. Since being awarded the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France’s top craftsman) in 1986, this passionate craftsman has continuously invested thought and effort in his “flagship ingredient”-chocolate- so that he could turn it into that delicate, exceptional product that is displayed, much like a jewel, in his three Parisian stores.
In 1988, he opened his first shop, called “Le Petit Boulé” at 16, avenue de la Motte-Picquet, Paris (7th arrondissement).
In 1990, his second store opened its doors at 3, rue Vavin, Paris (6th arrondissement).
In 1997, he opened a third establishment fully dedicated to chocolate and its many forms and varieties at 231, rue Saint-Honoré, Paris (1st arrondissement), complete with a tearoom…complete with chocolate… on the second floor.
In June 2002, further expansion brought the store into a new world: “Le Petit Boulé” moved to 23 bis, avenue de la Motte-Picquet, Paris (7th arrondissement).
Jean-Paul Hévin products are now being exported to Japan. The label is now found in new locations specializing in good taste and delicious flavors in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Kokura, where bars and cellars devoted entirely to chocolate have been opened: a truly great première!
"Photo : Quentin Bertoux"
Profile
Jean-Paul Hevin calls his chocolates his “black pearls” because each piece of the chocolates are made with the highest-quality ingredients, which Mr. Hevin himself is constantly tasting and sampling. He would travel all over the world in the hunt of cocoa beans. He is just as uncompromising on the subject of where our fine cocoa beans come from (selected mostly in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and Madagascar) as he is about their flavor or color. Mr. Hevin’s job, first and foremost, is that of a taster. He is not entrusting the responsibility of testing to anyone else. Jean-Paul Hevin has developed a number of methods that enable him to “taste” each chocolate to detect the different levels of flavors hidden deep within.
To guarantee extreme freshness, the boxes of chocolates are prepared each morning. Each customer can customize his/her box and choose an assortment from a selection of extra dark ganaches, pralines, and milk chocolates. Mr. Hevin uses extreme care to select those essences (fruit fillings, spices, caramels, or liqueurs) that suit each ingredient and enhance the flavor and taste. Mr. Hevin loves to create surprises by combining different taste and brings new tastes to customers. Chocolates bearing the Jean-Paul Hevin label never sits on the store counter for more than three days. To fully appreciate the quality of the chocolate, chocolate lovers should eat the delicacies within two weeks and not below a certain temperature: “It must be enjoyed at room temperature, like a fine wine or a cake.”
Mr. Hevin is also very concerned about the overall nutritional values of his black pearls. Cocoa beans are rich in carotene, vitamins in group B, and vitamins C, D and E. It contains magnesium, potassium, iron and fluorine. They are also rich in tannins, the substances that protect the heart and the blood vessels. Eating chocolates help stimulate blood platelet activity, thus reducing the levels of cardiovascular risks. To ensure that customers enjoy the health benefits of eating chocolates, Mr. Hevin is very conscious about striking the right balance of cocoa beans, cocoa oil and sugar in the production of his black pearls. His black pearls are made with less sugar and he insists on using cocoa butter as opposed to butter. He wants to see people eating the J.P.H. black pearls while staying healthy; and thus bringing overall happiness to mankind.
Inside Jean-Paul Hevin’s stores, you’ll find a taste reflecting modernity and perfection, combined with an atmosphere of elegance and comfort. These very qualities characterize the J.P.H. label; and give birth to the Jean-Paul Hevin black pearls.