In 2021, Nicolas Bastille opens the first 100% vegan pastry shop in Wallonia! This must-awaited premises is simply named The Vegan Patisserie and today, people come from far and wide to discover a range of unique sweets and treats. All of the classics in pastry baking are revised and reworked by Nicolas himself, without any animal-derived products but with love instead. Love for animals and love for our planet.
As a contributor of the Maison Marmite team, Nicolas will be offering a few choice classes. You can find them in the dessert section of our site, The Chocolate Valley, but before that, we thought we’d ask him a few questions…
Maison Marmite: You opened your first pastry bakery in Liège in 2021. Tell us a bit about your journey.
Nicolas: I studied at a hotel management school in Liège but I wasn’t all that keen, because I wanted hands-on learning, so I ended up doing 4 years at CFA, a trainee school specialising in chocolate/ice cream/confectionary. After that, I started working. I started baking pastries around the age of 15.
Maison Marmite: When did you become vegan?
I was a vegetarian for 2 years and went vegan towards the end of my studies, when I started becoming more aware and when I started doing vegan pastry baking.
Maison Marmite: And what set you off on this journey? What prompted you?
It’s a long story that’s a bit long… In a nutshell, I met my wife very early on, when I was barely 15; she was already a vegetarian and I was already quite sensitised to the subject. I later acquired a chicken friend. I had this incredible connection with her even though you’d not expect that, would you? People can easily imagine being friends with a dog or a cat, but a chicken… She would come over to me for cuddles all the time, then, from one day to the next, she was gone. She escaped the enclosure and got run over by a car. I was in such shock and it dawned on me that there is no difference between a dog and a chicken. Why could I eat one and not the other?
Maison Marmite: What made you want to specialise in vegan pastry cooking?
Back then, I had no idea is was possible to even make fine vegan pastries but, my wife persuaded me. I became vegetarian while my wife already was. She subsequently became vegan and asked me to prepare vegan pastries for her.
One day, I was in a vegan shop and came across a book full of gorgeous pastries. It really was classical pastry baking… and there was I thinking that the classics couldn’t possibly be “veganised”. I started doing my research and I enjoyed the hunt for everything that could lead me to create new products. Seen as I was already a pastry baker and that I already knew the basics, it was easy enough. It did, however, require an awful lot of research.
Maison Marmite: You then opened your own business, The Vegan Patisserie, in the centre of Liège. What were the initial reactions?
I opened the shop in April 2021, precisely 2 years ago. I had a huge social media community, so my first customers were vegans and it took off straight away. There are also quite a number of regulars who are lactose-intolerant. Nowadays, lots of people in the neighbourhood frequent the shop too, simply because they’re supporting what I do. We offer products that are much more digestible and are not laden with saturated fat.
Maison Marmite: Of everything you have made, what do you consider the most difficult?
Well, there are desserts that I still can’t make… to this day! When I first started, I had a terrible time with puddings, mousses, bavarois… but… practice makes perfect, right? I gradually started challenging myself more and, right now, I’m trying to get to grips with choux pastry. It’s so terribly delicate, made with eggs and they are not easy to replace.
Maison Marmite: So, what’s your favourite dessert then?
Honestly, I’m not much of a dessert fan at all… It’s funny but I really do not have a sweet tooth! I hardly ever eat dessert, I actually much prefer salty foods. It does make my customers giggle, I have to say… Despite not liking sugar all that much, I adore what I do; my passion is the actual making – or building – of the finished product. I love all the steps involved…
Maison Marmite: Aside from desserts then… what’s your favourite dish?
I love vegan burgers. You see, I like everything that’s good and greasy. I’m a healthy vegan… I’ll admit that if we go to a restaurant, I’ll order something greasy rather than a salad. My wife is much more into vegetables…
Maison Marmite: Where can people find your products?
Here, in Sainte-Walburge, in the centre of Liège but also at Neupré, in Luxembourg and Namur.
