Pastry Chef Noubar Yessayan Joins The Lucques Group Restaurants

Known as the “King of Croissants (by the LA Times),” Chef Noubar Yessayan is now Executive Pastry Chef at Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne’s The Lucques Group, consisting of Lucques, a.o.c., Tavern and The Larders restaurants.

Yessayan joined the famous LA restaurant group last November, when he began integrating new desserts into the weekly Sunday Suppers dinner at Lucques, including a chocolate cremeux bar with cocoa nibs and a caramelized apple ribbon with sable Breton and prune-armagnac ice cream.

Chef Yessayan was born in Beirut and moved to LA after receiving his green card. “My plan was to go to Le Cordon Bleu and become a chef, but halfway through culinary school I decided I didn’t want to be a savory chef at a restaurant,” said Yessayan. “I knew I wanted to make bread.”

He knew that he would need to make more than bread if he wanted to work in the United States, so he started to stage at places and learned how to make desserts. “In France there are two terms for pastry chefs, bread bakers and pastry chefs. Each is separate and specialized, but in America pastry chefs and bakers have to know each other’s jobs and basically do both,” said Yessayan.

After graduating Le Cordon Bleu, Chef Yassayan joined the culinary staff at Bastide in West Hollywood. Shortly after, he was recruited to work with Chef Alain Giraud at Anisette Brasserie and Maison Giraud. He also worked at the Soho House West before joining The Lucques Group.

As a result of his time at Le Cordon Bleu and his self-taught techniques in pastry, Yessayan has a unique understanding of pairing the right dessert to follow appetizer and main courses. “I know how savory and sweet work together, “ he said.

The new dessert menus at the three restaurants will vary with a.o.c. focusing on sharable smaller plates, Lucques serving cleaner modern dishes and Tavern including American brasserie inspired desserts.

“I want everything to be fun, delicious and approachable,” said Yessayan. “I don’t want dessert to be an afterthought anymore, I want it to have the same strength as the appetizer course.”

His famous chocolate croissants will make an appearance on the brunch menu at Tavern.

When asked what has been the biggest change in restaurants since he began his career, Chef Yessayan replied that he is saddened that so many smaller restaurants have cut their pastry programs to the extent that the main savory chefs are also making desserts. “It’s unfortunate that now so many executive chefs are also in charge of creating and implementing the dessert menus, instead of bringing in a pastry specialist.”

Yessayan added, “If someone wants to just come in for dessert then why not? Why not give the same attention as we do for an appetizer and main course to a dessert?”

After tasting Yessayan’s caramelized apple ribbons dessert, I’m convinced many Angelinos will be visiting a.o.c., Lucques, Tavern and The Larders just to satisfy their sweet tooths.

Photos by Shaena Engle and courtesy of The Lucques Group.