Having trained in some of the world’s top kitchens, celebrated pastry chef Julien Dugord has built a career rooted in discipline, creativity and emotion. He is now venturing into the Middle East, partnering with luxury hotels like Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental and Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai. In an exclusive interview, we reveal what drives his creative process and the personal stories behind his elegant creations.
You have worked in some of the world’s most structured and disciplined kitchens. How have your experiences shaped the way you now approach freedom and creativity in your own work?
Working in such demanding establishments taught me discipline, precision and absolute respect for the product. Moreover, my technical foundation gives me great freedom. I can move away from traditional codes while maintaining a solid structure; it is this acquired discipline that allows me to create with confidence without ever betraying the elegance of the craft.
As you bring your creations to new cultural settings like Abu Dhabi and Dubai, what are the first elements you seek to understand about the local identity and sensibilities?
I always try to understand the dominant tastes, preferred textures and iconic local ingredients. But beyond gastronomy, I also immerse myself in the visual culture: the colors, symbols and aesthetics. This allows me to create desserts that resonate with local audiences while still maintaining my signature style.
You’ve partnered with names like Dior and Maserati, and now with Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental and Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai. What draws you to such collaborations and how do you preserve your creative signature across these very different worlds?
These collaborations are encounters rooted in shared values: excellence, refinement and innovation. I enjoy building bridges between the world of luxury and that of pastry. Moreover, my identity is always present through the aesthetics of my desserts, the choice of ingredients and the story I tell. Each project is an opportunity to reinvent myself without ever losing my essence.
Your desserts often carry the precision of art pieces. When imagining something new, how does the initial spark evolve into a final composition?
It depends, but often it’s an emotion or a memory that sparks the idea. Sometimes it’s a combination of flavors, other times an aesthetic. Then comes a phase of sketching, technical trials and reflection on balance. It’s a highly intuitive creative process that’s guided by a clear objective — to make people feel something.
As the pastry world leans toward more experimental approaches, how do you define “timelessness”?
For me, timelessness means creating desserts that don’t follow trends but resonate through their precision, elegance and emotional impact. I strive to craft creations that are lasting in both their aesthetics and their flavor. Even when innovating, I retain a touch of classicism that makes the experience both accessible and memorable.
Do you feel that pastry is becoming more personal as an artistic language?
Yes, absolutely. Today, you can feel that chefs are telling their own stories through their desserts. For example, I often speak about my Vosges roots, my encounters and emotions. It’s a way of opening up my world to the public, of giving meaning to each creation. Indeed, pastry is a form of expression in its own right.
