We recently connected with Kévin D’Andréa and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kévin, thanks for joining us today. We’re looking forward to learning more about your latest venture, Foliepop’s.

Thank you for having me. I took a leap of faith, leaving the restaurant kitchen to create Foliepop’s – essentially reinventing my career. After spending years developing my career as an executive chef, I noticed an available niche in the pastry category – white labeling for high-end hotels and a gap at grocery stores where Foliepop’s Tartelettes fit perfectly.

You see croissants and macarons everywhere, but our Tartelettes are unique. An innovation that fills a gap in the sweet treats category.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m an entrepreneur and an award-winning chef. I’ve also grown as a TV personality, recently hosting the popular streaming series, “Breaking Baguettes” on Peacock where I interview top U.S. Olympians while breaking France’s most famous bread with them. On the show, I explore the intersection of food, dining, and French culture in conjunction with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. I even had the opportunity to join athletes in Paris to film episodes on location.

I’ve also had the rare opportunity to compete on Bravo’s Top Chef twice. I was the runner-up on Top Chef France in 2015 and I competed on the most recent U.S. season, filmed in Wisconsin.

Early in my culinary journey, I trained under the guidance of the legendary Michelin Star Chef Alain Llorca at Hôtel Belles Rives in the French Riviera, worked alongside Chef Alain Ducasse at Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, and honed my skills at the prestigious Michelin three-star restaurant Le Meurice before opening my own restaurant, Mensae, in Paris. In 2016, I was named “Best Young Chef” in France.

Eventually, I decided to pursue the American dream. I found my way to Austin and started Foliepop’s, providing elegant, French pastries to top-tier venues and our beloved Tartelettes to HEB shoppers. Foliepop’s Tartelettes are shortbread cookies with creamy or jam fillings and topped with milk, dark or white chocolate. They come in a variety of decadent flavors like: chocolate, lemon, raspberry, peanut, caramel and chai. The goal is to make the Tartelettes available nationwide!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Growing up, most people, including me, considered me a lost cause. I was bad at school and completely lost. I found culinary school at 16 years old, and my professor, Mr. Troin became the first person to believe in me. Mr. Troin helped me understand the love of cooking, and through his support and guidance, I found purpose. I was no longer lost, but instead found something to focus on – cooking – to become someone.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

The wholesale clients for Foliepop’s are top-tier hotels and venues, and it’s important to stay visible. The clients know that I am involved in every step of the process – ensuring consistency in the quality of Foliepop’s pastries they’re receiving. In fact, I still make every single one of the deliveries to our wholesale partners. Face-to-face interactions are important to build relationships. When I participate in the deliveries, I get the opportunity to say hello to our partners, get feedback and respond to questions or concerns. It’s the personal attention that fosters strong relationships.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kevindandrea.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevindandrea/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-d%E2%80%99andrea-270b17116/
• Other: https://foliepops.com/