Antonio Bachour will open his new business in the autumn

I want to create a pâtisserie that offers everything from the display store window to dessert plates, from breakfast to light lunches

The pastry chef from St Regis Bal Harbour in Miami, Antonio Bachour, recently told us about his intention to open his own establishment after summer. The project is very ambitious, with an investment of almost a million dollars, and which will occupy a total area of 550 metres squared in the financial district of the Brickell Centre in the city of Miami.

Antonio Bachour, author of two recipe books that have had a big impact in the sector in recent years, shares with us the core elements of this ambitious project.

What drove you to take this next step?

First of all, I received many inquiries from people asking to buy my cakes and bonbons, to give classes from all over the U.S.A. Many people in Miami called me to make desserts at weddings and other celebrations. And every day I have been welcoming a wide range of people from all parts of the world who come to the hotel only to try my desserts. This is what brought me to making this next step to opening a bakery. At the hotel, about 50 people every week call me to buy cakes when they are not clients, and I trust that I can have even a higher demand if I have my own pâtisserie.

Tell us more about the pâtisserie, what will it be like?

It will be modern. It will be situated in the centre of Miami, in Downtown, in the Brickell Centre. It will be 550 metres squared with all the modern elements that a pâtisserie needs: with made-to-measure window displays…I want to do something special, that people enjoy their visit to the place. We will have about 50 chairs, and a small area furnished in such a way that clients can sit and read a magazine. And we will also have a terrace.

At the hotel, about 50 people every week call me to buy cakes when they are not clients, and I trust that I can have even a higher demand if I have my own pâtisserie

What range of products are you thinking of offering?

We will offer display desserts (entremet, verrines, little cakes, macaroons, bonbons etc.), plus restaurant dessert plates. We will also offer a breakfast with all kinds of sweetbreads and lunches of gourmet sandwiches and salads. We will also set up a showroom for wedding cakes. We will have online sales of bonbons and macaroons to serve the whole of the U.S.A. The objective is to promote a pâtisserie that offers everything from the store window to dessert plates, from breakfast to a light lunch.

How will we recognise your unique style in this store?

The name of the place says a lot, as it will include my name“Bachour”. It is going to be Bachour Desserts. You will find everything that those people who have been following my career have liked until now. I am not going to change my desserts, people recognise a dessert of mine wherever they find it. I am going to continue using my organic flowers and all the decorations that I have always used. I will change the elements depending on the season, both for the display window pastries and the dessert plates.

What kind of investment capital have you needed and who are your partners that are supporting you in this project?

The project has required an investment of around 1 million dollars. There are three partners: my brother, Jose, Patsy Aballi and her son, Henry Hane, who will be my chef as well as a partner, and Javier Ramírez, a Venezuelan banker.

I am not going to change my desserts, people recognise a dessert of mine wherever they find it. I am going to continue using my organic flowers and all the decorations that I have always used

What kind of public response are you hoping for? Do you believe there are enough pastry lovers in Miami to fill an establishment of this size?

I believe that we are offering something different. Clients want to see changes and every day the range of gastronomic offerings in Miami is getting better and better. Many restaurants are being opened by international chefs in Miami. There is a big Latin American community in Miami. So I believe the response will be positive, it’s going to be a concept like no other in Miami!

What are your next steps, what are the important things you need to do before, and immediately after, the opening?

The work will begin in February and will be ready by summer 2015, towards September. At the moment, I am designing the menu. Also, I will be visiting the best pâtisseries in the U.S.A. And Europe over the coming months to get ideas. I am also going to prepare an internship programme. I want this project to go well because I already have two requests to set up the same concept in Dubai and Brasil for 2017.