WINTER PARK, Fla. \u2013 Pastry chef Fran\u00e7ois Paille, co-owner of Croissant Gourmet in Winter Park, is showcasing Central Florida\u2019s baking talent on Food Network\u2019s new competition show, Sweet Empire.<\/p>\n
Paille, originally from Alsace in northeastern France near the German border, moved to the United States 14 years ago to open a macaron factory. Since then, he has worked in various hotels, restaurants and pastry shops before partnering with a friend, also named Francois, to open Croissant Gourmet.<\/p>\n
Francois Paille (\u00a9 2025 Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first time they did this show,\u201d Paille said of Sweet Empire. The competition began with 14 skilled contestants, each with unique strengths. \u201cOn the first competition, we had six winners, and the six of us started an empire by choosing other people. Little by little, we took more people in our empire and built a big team to win the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
The challenges have been intense. The first was an individual competition. The second involved creating vintage toy-themed desserts, where Paille\u2019s team made chocolate desserts inspired by SpongeBob for the movie release. The most recent challenge required making hyper-realistic food.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very stressful being under pressure and with all the cameras around,\u201d Paille said. \u201cI\u2019m the only rookie on the show; everyone else has done seven or eight seasons. Luckily, I was one of the first six to start my empire, and I\u2019m still here.\u201d<\/p>\n
contestant Francois Paille prepares his challenge 1 dish, as seen on Sweet Empire, Season 1 (\u00a9 2025 Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n
Paille ensures his tasting elements reflect his French heritage and his new home in Florida. For example, in the toy-themed episode, his team created a train dessert featuring tasting elements like little oranges and a bomb with orange liqueur, nodding to Florida\u2019s famous oranges. His teammate from St. Augustine helped represent the Florida team on the show.<\/p>\n
Currently, Croissant Gourmet operates two bakeries in Winter Park: one on Park Avenue and Morse Boulevard, and another on Orange Avenue and West Orange Avenue, opened last January. They offer fresh baguettes, croissants, French-style breakfasts, pastries, wedding cakes and catering.<\/p>\n
Paille noted the challenges of competing on the show, including limited space and equipment compared to his bakery. \u201cWorking with chocolate was complicated because of the conditions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He praised the judges, Yolanda Gampp and Jack Torres. \u201cYolanda is an amazing artist, and Jack Torres is the highest grade you can have as a pastry chef in France. He\u2019s my idol.\u201d<\/p>\n
Representing France on the show is an honor for Paille. \u201cYou cannot miss my accent. They even put subtitles for me because nobody can understand what I say,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n
Sweet Empire airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on Food Network and streams the next day on HBO Max. The competition is now in the semifinals.<\/p>\n
For the holidays, Croissant Gourmet is preparing a special treat called \u201cNoel,\u201d available at their Winter Park locations. Paille invites the community to visit and enjoy fresh French pastries.<\/p>\n
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