Oh Faon! | The Best Pâtisserie Happens To Be in Marseille, France and Is Also, Vegan
Photo by Oh Faon!
Oh Faon! (Faon is French for “fawn”) is a beautiful, vegan patisserie in the heart of Marseille, France. It is owned by Jérôme Raffaelli and Kévin Yau. They are dedicated to creating stunning desserts without any animal products and by using an eco-friendly approach.
In 2022, they became as one of the top 700 pastries in the world and in 2023, they were added to La Liste 1000, a guide to the best restaurants, pastry shops, and hotels.
Walking inside their shop, you’re met with display cases where you’ll first see the classics: croissants, pain au chocolat, cookies but also, you’ll see a case filled with beautiful tarts that look almost too good to eat and make it almost impossible to choose just one.
On this summer day, I ended up buying four pastries. One with the classic Provence pairing of rosemary and pine nuts, a milk chocolate hazelnut, raspberry tart, and given the season, their princess peach. Biting into each one was an experience. There were layers in each bite and had surprise textures and flavors that left me wanting more. You could tell how much thought and work went into each pastry not just by its presentation but also, by how every element came together for the perfect bite.
This ended up being my dinner that evening and I would do it again. Had they not been closed the next day, I would’ve gone again to buy even more but alas, it was time to leave Marseille and go to the next part of my trip.
After leaving Marseille with such fond memories of this patisserie, I wanted to learn more about the people behind Oh Faon and its mission with such a place. So I reached out.
Photo by Oh Faon!
Vegan Ventures: What sparked this interest in starting Oh Faon?
Kévin: Jerome and I have always been passionate about craftsmanship and food. We used to work in a different field; movies for Jérôme and marketing for Kévin. Since Jérôme was vegan, he’d always struggled to find a suitable pastry offer. Hence the idea of opening a pastry shop where any sweet tooth can enjoy French fine pastry.
Vegan Ventures: Are you vegan? If so, how long have you been vegan for? How does being vegan transcend in your work and the pastries you offer at Oh Faon?
Kévin: Jérôme has been vegan for the last ten years. Everything is vegan, and most of our production is also gluten free. We put a lot of effort into seasonal ingredients that are sourced in the area of Marseille. We are lucky to have many producers around.
Vegan Ventures: What are you and your business partner’s background and experience working in pastry?
Kévin: Jérôme worked 15 years in the movie industry. And Kévin worked in project management beforehands. We are married. Both our family has a strong foodie culture - mainly because our relatives own a restaurant or a foodshop.
Vegan Ventures: Was the process of making these very traditional French pastries vegan difficult? What was the process like for you?
Kévin: We always rely on traditional techniques. We stick as much as possible with the heritage of past pastry makers. Yet the process was very long to find the right recipes. Vegan pastry is difficult because we use natural ingredients and not standardized products (i.e. soy cream, almond milk, etc.). The whole purpose is to find the perfect balance when it comes to taste, texture and look.
Vegan Ventures: How did it feel when you made La Liste this year, especially as a vegan patisserie?
Kévin: So grateful! We worked so much on our products. It is even more rewarding for the whole vegan community and the city of Marseille.
Vegan Ventures: What is the takeaway you want people to have after coming to Oh Faon? What kind of experience do you want people to have here?
Kévin: We want to give them surprising textures and indulgent flavors. We also want them to feel warm and welcome in the shop.
Vegan Ventures: What are you hoping to accomplish by having a business like Oh Faon? What impact are you hoping to make?
Kévin: We aim at making vegan food as elegant as possible. That way, we believe we can make people accept vegan pastry for what it is: a new way to design, craft and taste fine pastry. French pastry leader Pierre Hermé recently stated the future of pastry is vegan. I guess we’re on the right path.
Follow Oh Faon! on Instagram: @oh_faon
A foodie at heart, Ashley loves to find the best vegan eats and experiences.
