Karim Bourgi knew he wanted to enter the fantastical world of desserts the day he first set eyes on complex confectionery. After years of aspirational dreaming, hard graft and mastering the craft, he’s now one of the Middle East’s most celebrated artisans. Explore the story of MENA’s Best Pastry Chef 2023, sponsored by Valrhona, through the five bakes that have punctuated his journey from childhood fan to master pâtissier
The Senegal-born maestro was handed his award in Abu Dhabi by Asia's Best Pastry Chef 2022, Maira Yeo from Cloudstreet in Singapore
1. Wedding cake
France and Lebanon – 1991
Bourgi was born in Senegal but spent the majority of his early life flitting between France and Lebanon, the latter of which is the homeplace of his parents. He had always loved food but discovered his penchant for pastry in his teens via a formative encounter with a local bakery.
“My first sweet memory was when my father took me to the bakery next door to our house, which was run by a Swiss pastry chef,” Bourgi begins. “He was making wedding cakes, and it was the first time I had ever seen a professional confectioner working in front of me. It smelled absolutely incredible and I was so impressed by how delicately he was piping the cream and decorating his creation. I knew at that moment I wanted to become a pastry chef.”
2. Alhambra chocolate cake
Le Cordon Bleu, Paris – 2000
Across the multitude of confectionery items Bourgi learned to master at Le Cordon Bleu, the Alhambra was his most treasured creation
Chasing his dream, Bourgi moved to Paris aged 16 to embed himself in the home of pastry traditionalism. Here, he enrolled in the legendary Le Cordon Bleu culinary school to evolve his budding passion into a professional skill. Within the course, he mastered the full range of traditional French techniques, from glistening viennoiseries to delicate tarts. “It’s hard to choose one dessert from my time spent in Paris as I learned so much. However, the Alhambra cake is the one that always sticks in my mind,” Bourgi says.
The cake, named after the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Grenada, Spain, is a chocolate and nut sponge layered with ganache and topped with icing bearing the hallmark sheen of traditional French pastries. It is a close relative of the Austrian Sachertorte, and was a staple of Le Cordon Bleu’s pastry education programme across Bourgi’s time there. “I love chocolate and I remember the first bite of this cake so vividly. It was incredible,” he says.
3. Orange blossom and date éclair
Fauchon at Conrad Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi – 2009
Bourgi's éclairs are deft renditions of the French classic, such as the chocolate-filled version pictured above
After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in 2000, Bourgi went on to work at numerous high-profile pastry outposts across Paris, including the lauded Ladurée and Fauchon. While working at the latter, he was approached by its management to help open its newest location at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi [which has since shuttered]. Bourgi seized the opportunity to surround himself with new cultures and further develop his own unique pastry identity.
“When I arrived in Abu Dhabi, it was my first time in the UAE and I was asked to create a pastry that reflected my new surroundings,” he explains. “At the time, Fauchon was famous for its éclairs, so I decided to infuse the classic creation with dates and orange blossom.” These delicate choux packages, which pulled inspiration from the abundance of dates in the country, also paid homage to his own roots via orange blossoms, a staple of Lebanese cuisine. It quickly became one of Fauchon’s best sellers and marked the start of Bourgi’s unique fusion pastry style.
4. The Kayu Signature
Kayu Bakehouse, Dubai – 2021 
The Kayu Signature is an edge-to-edge chocolate sensation and one of Bourgi's proudest creations
After many years with Fauchon in Abu Dhabi, Bourgi departed to found his first solo venture, Kayu Bakehouse, in 2021. This flagship venue would serve as an amalgamation of all his prior learning and experience, offering Dubai a taste of classic pastries, together with more contemporary offerings, such as the international craze for ‘cruffins’ (croissant-muffin hybrid). Alongside the more familiar bakes, Kayu would also offer Bourgi a blank slate to craft entirely original inventions, the greatest of which Bourgi considers to be the shop’s eponymous bake, the Kayu Signature.
“I was hesitating on how to make the signature dessert for my new shop. [I wondered] which flavours to use, which chocolate and so on,” he explains. “I wanted to create something that would last forever, given it was named after the shop,” he adds.
Fitting to Kayu’s name, which means ‘a patient and meticulous person who enjoys working in a detailed and systematic way’, Bourgi’s signature bake is a masterclass in process, presentation and construction. The resulting cake – the magnum opus of the chef – is a symphony of chocolate in four forms, delicately shaped by a specialist mould sourced from Paris and embossed with the bakery’s logo. Within its glistening shell, it boasts layers of dark chocolate mousse, couverture (chocolate with a higher-than-average percentage of cocoa butter), chocolate crème and crunchy praline.
“I wanted my guests to have a unique experience discovering the multitude of textures you can enjoy with chocolate,” he explains. It was an instant hit, catapulting Bourgi’s and Kayu’s reputation to new heights as a bastion of great confectionery in the region, with the shop having since opened a second branch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the back of the Dubai location’s success.
5. Paris-Brest
Pastry masterclasses, global – present day
Bourgi's lighter take on the legendary French classic was his most sought-after teaching across his global series of masterclasses
In addition to his work at Kayu, Bourgi has also used his time to impart his pastry prowess onto the next generation of budding pâtissiers through a series of masterclasses. Travelling to over 80 countries, including a wealth of culinary schools, he teaches the techniques behind traditional French sweets alongside his own fusion creations. His most requested walkthrough, however, is his take on a world-renowned pastry…
“I became most famous in my masterclasses for my Paris-Brest. It’s a classic French pastry, but I had my own twist on it,” Bourgi explains. Where the traditional version features rich and decadent layers of buttercream with heavy praline, his rendition is lighter and more refined for the modern day, without losing the character of the time-honoured bake. “You don’t feel the guilt or the heaviness with my Paris-Brest,” he laughs, adding that you can easily have two or three slices before reaching your limit.
In line with his other pastry work, his version maximises each individual component within the bake, intricately balanced to form an ensemble greater than the sum of its parts. Due to its complexity, delicate nature and patience required in its assembly, the Paris-Brest is a true labour of love, and one Bourgi believes all pastry chefs should master in their career.
Now watch the video with Karim Bourgi here:
The list of Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was announced at a live awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi. To stay up to date with all news and announcements, browse the website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
