About François Payard

François Payard is a third-generation pastry chef from France. He worked in some of the best French kitchens before moving to New York City in 1990 and becoming pastry chef at Le Bernadin and, later, at Daniel Boulud’s Daniel. Payard was the recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s “Pastry Chef of the Year” award in 1995 and currently runs Francois Payard Bakery and FP Patisserie in New York City, with outposts in Las Vegas, Japan, and Korea. @francoispayard

Pieces of chocolate peppermint toffee stacked on top of each other.

Chocolate-Peppermint Toffee

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The creaminess of the crunchy toffee is accentuated by the crisp coat of smooth tempered chocolate. Package these in a lovely tin for a beautiful, tasty gift.

Chocolate-Rum Savarin

Chocolate-Rum Savarin

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Rich and tender, this yeast leavened cake is moistened by a good soaking of rum syrup and frosted with gianduja cream. No savarin mold? A Bundt pan will do.