When you happen upon an authentic taste of a destination you love in another, very different, destination, it makes the world feel a little smaller. Until you can get to France, and when you’re in New York, there’s a bakery that’s a must to try. A true Francophile, Irvina Lew, Real Food Traveler’s Europe Editor, recently visited Pâtisserie Vanessa, appreciating just how authentic the cafe is. Here, she tells us what it was like. Be sure to click on the link below for the recipe for La Madeleine, adorable, shell-shaped Madeline cakes. 

Save this article about Pâtisserie Vanessa to Pinterest to help you plan your visit. Photos courtesy Pâtisserie Vanessa except madelines. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Hungry for more? Here’s the recipe for Madeleines from Patisserie Vanessa.

Some of you are familiar with my occasional travels to the south of France and my affection for Provençal food, which I enjoy wherever I find it, including in New York City, where there are wonderful places reminiscent of Provence. One example is Boulud Sud, across from Lincoln Center, another is a new pastry shop in a corner of a landmark townhouse in Carnegie Hill, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Its location, on the corner of 89th and Lexington Avenue, in an affluent residential neighborhood, near museums and galleries lures neighbors who longed for this kind of pastry shop.

Pâtisserie Vanessa presents more sweet than savory selections in an intimate pastry shop designed to bring Provençal aesthetic elegance, to the heart of the city. The classically modern décor reflects the colours of the coast, complete with terra cotta ceramic decorative items and the colors of painted fisherman’s boats. Even the stylish gift boxes are inspired by the landscapes of Provence.

The interior of Pâtisserie Vanessa. Photo courtesy Pâtisserie Vanessa.

The Pâtisserie is a mom-and-pop endeavor. Vanessa, the only female pastry maker in NYC with her own unique venue, grew up in Marseille, where she was always cooking and baking for her loved ones as a way of expressing herself and delighting others. After graduating with a degree in marketing, she moved to New York and worked for major global brands, such as L’Occitane and CotyBeauty before starting an intensive one-on-one training with Anna Notari from L’Atelier des Chefs in Aix-en-Provence. She established her own wholesale business providing French pastries to coffee shops, delivery services and restaurants. Ten years later, her dream of a brick-and mortar flagship location in which she showcases the amazing pastries she has created became a reality.

Her husband and business partner, Marc Silengo, a former marketing executive for high end brands, brings his enthusiasm and marketing expertise to the effort. This husband-and-wife team are unique, supporting each other every step of the way, and delivering something never seen before, with unique, signature pastries, handcrafted with natural ingredients on the beautiful premises that they have carefully curated. They and their children remain very connected to their French roots and are sharing their cherished taste memories with New Yorkers who welcomed them from the time they opened Pâtisserie Vanessa on March 11, 2023.

The vitrine is beautifully stocked with fluffy French croissants, a variety of chocolate goodies and madeleines, the little cakes made famous by Proust. And Macarons Vanessa are her personal interpretation of the famous melt-in-the-mouth meringue treats filled with ganache or jam, inspired by Vanessa’s trips to Paris during her childhood; on display, there are salted caramel, pistachio, lemon, and raspberry macarons.

Rows of pretty and flavorful macarons. Photo by Irvina Lew.

I arrived at noon and as appealing as all the pastries were, I was really ready for a cappuccino and something solid for lunch, before sampling some sweets. I enjoyed a light goat cheese quiche Provençal with zucchini served with roasted cherry tomatoes and a leafy green salad, which featured figs, niçoise olives and pumpkin seeds and topped with a fresh-tasting olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Then, I sampled two spécialités from Provence, one is La Tropézienne Vanessa: a velvety mousseline cream in vanilla flavor, housed in a soft yet dense brioche, created in St. Tropez in the 1950s and still famous on the Côte d’Azur. The second is Le Canelé Vanessa: a small pastry from the wine region that has a slightly custardy center, a lightly caramelized, perfectly golden crust, and is flavored with a touch of white rum.

A lunch of quiche, salad, and tomatoes at Pâtisserie Vanessa. Photo by Irvina Lew.

For winter, they have just launched Le Hot Chocolate Vanessa using Vanessa’s signature chocolate ganache, the same chocolate ganache used for the Macaron Chocolat and the Trésor Chocolat. Vanessa’s ganache is a crafted blend of three chocolates: a dark chocolate as a nice and even classic chocolate base, complemented by a milk chocolate for a touch of creamy sweet notes and an extra dark chocolate for robust cocoa flavor. Here, it is generously melted into milk, upon order, for an intense, pure chocolate taste and is served with Vanessa’s chantilly cream and chocolate shavings on top.

Hungry for more? Read about Irvina’s experience at an Alain Ducasse restaurant.

The Pâtisserie’s most popular holiday item is La Charlotte Hazelnut Praliné Vanessa. Vanessa’s iconic ladyfinger French Charlotte Cake celebrates the owners beloved Hazelnut Praliné. It’s the very first recipe that Vanessa learned to bake as a child and she prepares it in flavors of raspberry bavaroises (a Bavarian cream –with milk, sugar and egg yolks — thickened with gelatin into which whipped cream is folded). She also prepares it with jam, milk and dark chocolate mousses, or lemon chiboust. (Crème chiboust was a crème pâtissière (pastry cream) lightened with Italian meringue or whipped cream and created in 1847 by the pastry chef M. Chiboust on Rue St. Honore.

Raspberry Charlottes are one variety of Charlotte made at Pâtisserie Vanessa. Photo by Irvina Lew.

Another popular holiday pastry, La Tarte Aux Pommes Vanessa, launched for Thanksgiving 2023. The classic fruity French apple tart showcases slightly nutty, soft layers of thinly cut apples, over a light almond cream. Many of the items are available in individual dessert size and a larger celebration size (6-8 people).

La Tarte Aux Pommes Vanessa. Photo courtesy Pâtisserie Vanessa. 

Pâtisserie Vanessa is located at 1340 Lexington Avenue in New York. There’s delivery and pick-up in New York and nationwide shipping on the website.

-Story by Irvina Lew

Hungry for more? Read Irvina’s list of places to eat in Paris near popular sites.