Alina Petrea, a graduate of the Ritz Escoffier pastry school in Paris, opens Öhlala Pâtisserie, in Bucharest

Starting with September, Bucharest hosts a new destination for foodies – Öhlala Pâtisserie, the confectionery and pastry shop that brings together French-inspired recipes and local, seasonal ingredients. Located in Amzei Square, on 1-3 Christian Tell Street, the chic venue offers a selection of fine, tasty products, made in the company’s own laboratory. All these may be tasted indoors, on the terrace or picked up for takeaway.

The project is developed by Alina Petrea, a 2019 graduate of the Ritz Escoffier School in Paris. Here, the entrepreneur, who is passionate about gastronomy, learned the secrets of pastry making working alongside famous French chefs, such as François Perret, Tristan Rousselot and Olivier Lainé, professionals that are internationally recognized for their creations. Moreover, she also went through a 2-week internship in the laboratory of François Perret, who, in 2019, was declared the best confectioner in the world, by the association Grandes Tables du Monde.

Returning to Romania in 2020, after almost 30 years spent in Paris, one of the finest culinary destinations in the world, Alina Petrea founded Öhlala Pâtisserie with her husband, the Frenchman Sébastien Cazac.

“It is important for us that, in the dishes we propose, our imprint, passion and orientation towards excellence be felt. That’s why Sébastien and I will personally take care of the production part. Our desserts will be made by hand, to focus on craftsmanship and ensure they have a personal dimension. We put our soul into everything we do and we want this to reflect in our culinary creations, as well.”, says Alina Petrea.

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The new confectionery welcomes its guests with a menu of fine products, which includes the pistachio tart with orange blossoms, Banoffee – the famous tart with bananas and caramel -, moelleux au chocolat, served cold and the traditional choux, in several versions, with coffee cream, chocolate and vanilla. In addition, in their own laboratory, Alina and Sébastien also make pastries – madeleines, pistachio financiers – French almond flour cakes, with hazelnut butter and pistachio -, apple pies, chocolate, caramel and hazelnuts cookies and various types of puff pastry with fresh fruit, fruit preserve and fruit jams.

All products are created by combining French techniques with quality ingredients, both local and brought from reliable suppliers in France.

“My goal is to use my personal vision, as well as what I learned at the Ritz Escoffier school, to create products that become memorable. In search of the best raw materials, I discovered tasty fruits, of local origin, which I will combine with Romanian milk and cream, French butter and many other quality ingredients. For me, my cakes are the result of an alchemy, a tribute to the two cultures that I appreciate and admire – the Romanian and the French “, says Alina Petrea.

In addition, those who cross the threshold of Öhlala Pâtisserie will be able to enjoy drinks based on specialty coffee, freshly roasted by Dropshot. The drinks menu will include the famous Espresso, Cappuccino, Flat White, Americano.

Öhlala Pâtisserie is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 23:00. The venue has a capacity of 20 seats inside and 16 on the terrace.

Öhlala Pâtisserie, an investment of 100,000 Euros, in the HoReCa industry

Alina Petrea and Sébastien Cazac invested 100,000 Euros, from their own funds, in the Öhlala Pâtisserie project. The amount covers the designing and furnishing of the confectionary shop in Amzei Square, arranging and equipping the production laboratory, branding and consulting. The two owners expect that the investment will be amortized over the next 3 years.

Prices start at 9 Lei, for pastries, 18 Lei for individual cakes and 7 Lei, for coffee-based drinks.

The Öhlala Pâtisserie project was developed in collaboration with the HoReCa consulting agency Next Root Management Systems, founded by Dragoș Panait, a professional with over 10 years of experience in the industry. Next Root Management Systems contributed to the shaping and implementation of the concept, as well as to the development of operational procedures, obtaining permits, ensuring compliance with hygiene and HACCP standards and identifying suppliers.

“Together with Alina and Sébastien, two extremely passionate entrepreneurs that are very attentive to details, we managed to create a confectionery concept with a lot of potential, based on fine, authentic French products. The role of Next Root Management Systems was to contribute to the creation of an operational ecosystem that would highlight their extremely tasty products, help them streamline their resources and identify the best partners and suppliers. I am sure that Öhlala Pâtisserie will become a model of good practices and a destination for dessert lovers”, says Dragoș Panait, founder of Next Root Management Systems.