Butter, cream, eggs and milk are some of the essential ingredients you will find at any French bakery. But at an Osborne Park French patisserie, you won’t see any of these items. Instead WA plant-based ingredients such as Geraldton wax and native thyme are plentiful, as a French-trained, Perth loving chef recreates baked masterpieces for modern tastes.

Chef Cedric Manile and his business partner, Laura Allieres, are turning well-known French patisserie recipes – croissants, Mille Feuilles and eclairs – on its head as they create Perth’s and possibly the world’s first 100% plant based pastries, through their bakery W.H.I.P (Whole Hearted Inspired Patisserie).

Inspiration for W.H.I.P came from Laura’s search for plant-based pastries when she developed a dairy intolerance. Transitioning to a plant-based diet was not easy for the French-borns, Osborne Park residents, especially as they missed their traditional French tarts, croissants and cakes.

“Food is an important aspect of French culture that Cedric and I grew up with. Not being able to eat my usual croissants and tarts was hard but then I realised, I have here with me a trained pastry chef with extensive experience in Michelin restaurants across France, London, Tuscany and Perth,” said Laura.

“So of course, Cedric saw this as an opportunity to be creatively challenged and turn the much-loved, famous and traditional French patisserie into plant-based goodness.”

Previously a Zagat London’s 30 under 30 nominee and a pastry chef at Perth’s top-tier restaurant Wildflower, Cedric turned his skills to turning French favourites to meet the increasing, modern demand for plant based foods.

“At first when Laura mentioned the idea to me, I thought, yes why not? I started experimenting at home just for us to enjoy but when we started bringing our plant based pastries to dinner parties and as gifts, we discovered that there’s an unmet and growing demand for vegan French sweets,” explained Cedric.

“Part of our mission is to show that it is possible to offer dairy-free and egg-free pastries, while keeping the high quality, flavourful and creative elements that many love so much in French baked goods,” said Cedric.

Since opening in January 2020, W.H.I.P has certainly addressed Perth’s modern tastes for plant based French patisserie, evident through sold-out products at local food and farmers markets.

The beautiful pastries have also attracted the attention of some of the biggest and well-known Instagram food bloggers who are open to the creativity of W.H.I.P’s pastries.

True to their love for Western Australia, Cedric and Laura have embraced native ingredients such as thyme, Geraldton wax, warrigal (native spinach) and macadamias in their changing with the seasons menu of French treats.

“There is so much goodness that the Western Australian natural landscape provides to give us exciting, new flavours that you won’t get anywhere else around the world. From our suppliers to clients, we can feel that there is a passion, like the one we have, for handmade, quality plant based pastries,” said Laura.

Laura and Cedric will debut new winter season French based treats at the Winter Perth Upmarket on Sunday 13 June, at UWA. Lovers of all things French patisserie, good food and local ingredients are invited to sample the limited, handmade pastries and treats from W.H.I.P.

For more information: https://whippatisserie.com/

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