Paris may be the City of Light, but for Yann Couvreur, Miami has a radiance all its own.
“The sunshine, the warmth … the people are very kind,” says the Paris-born, internationally known pastry chef. “We [have fallen] in love with Miami,” he says in careful English. “We hope it is the beginning of our American adventure.”
Couvreur’s American adventure began around 2020 when, at the urging of his business partners, Jordan Zeitoun and Benjamin Guedj, he started visiting Miami to experience the city they so often praised.
“I wanted to discover by myself the city, to feel its vibe and start to think about a business here,” says Couvreur, whose cafés and patisseries include 13 in Paris and others in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other capitals.
He was instantly smitten. “When you live in Paris, it is so different from Miami,” he says, noting South Florida’s outdoor lifestyle, more relaxed pace, and diverse, friendly residents, including many from France who—Couvreur guessed correctly—were missing the croissants, viennoiseries, and gâteaux of their home country. He opened his first U.S. location in October 2023 at Julia & Henry’s in downtown Miami. In May 2024, the Yann Couvreur Café, which features an expanded menu of French and American breakfast and lunch dishes, opened in Wynwood. And in the works: an Aventura Mall location scheduled to open in May.
Along with traditional French pastries and his house specialties, Couvreur innovates with regional and seasonal produce. In Miami, this includes key limes and other citrus, pecans, and those famous Florida strawberries, which are harvested at a different time than French berries. “We have to learn this new calendar,” he says.
It is that opportunity for creativity that most excites Couvreur. While he made a point of seeking out the best chefs in both savory and pastry to train and work alongside, it was “when I started to create some new desserts that I took pleasure in my job,” he says. In 2015, he set up his “laboratory” east of Paris, where he experimented with form and flavor, and he opened his first pastry shop in the French capital.
As he expands internationally, his focus is on offering customers a mix of the French and the familiar. “The bestseller in Paris is not the same in Miami,” Couvreur says, noting that French toast, made with thick slabs of caramelized brioche, is a favorite at the Wynwood café. “Paris people do not know this ‘French toast.’”
All the while, he and his team remain “humble,” as Couvreur says, adjusting recipes and menus until they hit that sweet spot. “We try new products, and we see if the Miami people accept and love them.”
One thing is certain: Couvreur loves his new culinary playground. “When I am [in Miami], it is business and holiday at the same time.”
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