L’Étoile sur Mer

According to Jean-Michel Carton, the owner of Artisan Boulanger-Pâtissier Carton Paris ( 6 Boulevard De Denain, 75010) and the winner of this year’s “best croissant in Paris”, a perfect croissant has to have… A perfectly browned shell, with the central leaf “la couleurette” slightly darker than the rest, each “feuilletage” pastry…

From the perfectly crunchy baguette tradition to a fluffy croissant, good bread is abundant in France, but Alex Croquet pushes the art of baking to a whole other level. Based in the small village of Wattignies in the outskirts of Lille, Alex Croquet has refused proposals to expand from all over the world whether it's in London, Paris or Tokyo. In the style of a true artisan, a shokunin, he wakes early every morning to make bread at his boulangerie in Wattignies village, which also supplies the bread to his Lille bakery.