The Collector: An Interview With Celebrity Chef Pierrick Boyer

Pierrick Boyer is the Executive Pastry Chef at Le Petit Gateau, in Melbourne, Australia. He’s a man with a sweet tooth, and he’s partial to some hard candy, especially the kind that tells the time. Boyer caught the attention of our resident foodies at Haute Time through pictures of his culinary treats on Instagram, including a chocolate covered Panerai that looks quite delicious. We caught up with Boyer to learn the secret behind his horological recipes.

What does a day in the life of an Executive Pastry Chef look like?

I wake up between 5 and 6AM every day. The first thing I do is I check my phone to find out what has happened while I was asleep. I never sleep more than 6 hours. It’s always been that way. Then I’m off to work. I greet everyone, get a coffee and I find a photo to upload on my Instagram. After that it’s all work. Some days I’m out around 3PM and I’ll try to catch up with friends but I’m often attending work-related events and finishing up at 11PM.

Many chefs are passionate watch enthusiasts. Do you think they are drawn to watches because of the level of craftsman ship that is required to make a fine watch?

I think that is undeniable. Chefing is not a nine-to-five job. It’s a passion first and foremost, and like any other work, some do it better then others. The same is true in the watch industry. And I think chefs really appreciate the value of hard work and fine craftsmanship.

You’ve got to be very picky when it comes to your ingredients. Are you the same way when you are looking at watches? Is there something that inspires you in particular, or do you suddenly feel a craving for a specific watch model?

Yes, absolutely. A lot of purchases were made from a gut feeling. Today, I’m a lot more careful, especially when it comes to buying a watch in the $10-15K range. I study the market, look at the supply and demand. Some companies are very good at controlling the supply and demand of their watches and the prices of their watches can go a little crazy.

You’ve got a very impressive and diverse collection of watches including Rolex, Panerai and Audemars Piguet. Which one would you have as the starter, main course, and desert?

Breakfast: Panerai PAM 382 Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Power Reserve Automatic “BRONZO”
Mid morning tea: Panerai PAM 127 1950 “FIDDY” Special Edition
Lunch: Rolex DeepSea Dblue
Afternoon Tea: Avalon PB Melbourne Special Edition
Dinner: Audemars Piguet Millenary 4101
Special Occasions: Any Richard Mille

Panerai is my first big love in watches. My collection was all about that one brand. Later in life, I added to that with a few brands. Of course, I love creating and I had the chance to design The Avalon, a watch made together with the Melbourne Watch Co. and I would love to design something else again. That would be awesome.

Given carte blanche, what’s would you add to your wrist game?

Two years ago I would have said an Officine Panerai PAM528 Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Ceramica “LO SCIENZIATO.” But now it would surely have to be Richard Mille. I especially love the RM 11 case. It feels so right. Maybe I’d pick the Felipe Massa Asia boutique or the RM 27-02 Tourbillon. The RM 061 Yohan Blake is unreal too.

You wear your heart on your sleeve when it comes to social media, and share pretty much everything else that is on it, including your tattoos and your watches. Are there any differences between the foodie and the watch collecting communities on Instagram or do they share more then one would think?

My Instagram account is really about my personality, what I like and endorse. That includes food, desserts, watches, tattoos, my two adorable dogs, as well as some traveling and some lifestyle. Because of that, my followers hail from different parts of the world and have different interests. A lot of accounts choose to only post about one particular topic. Personally I wouldn’t find that very interesting, but some of my friends do it very successfully!

Photo Credit: @Leicashot. For more awesome shots of his collection, please follow the official Pierrick Boyer Instagram account.