Shahrzad Shokouhivand
Shahrzad Shokoohivand was born on April 14, 1986, in Tehran.She believes in originality, as said by Voltaire: “Originality is nothing but judicious imitation”. She uses no artificial colors and flavors and mostly classic techniques rather than molds, she is inspired by nature.
Studying Hotel Management, she devoted her life to experience food and culture, and to provide the essence of that to her locals. She worked in hotels and managed family sport business, while cooking pastries and cookies at home and selling them in private events.
As an Iranian woman entrepreneur, she obliges herself to empower women, providing educational and work environment to middle-eastern ladies, albeit talented enthusiastic gentlemen.
She is doing her best to provide quality on par with France, focusing on top notch local ingredients: pistachio and nuts, Saffron, and fruits while trying to overcome low quality of flour and butter in Iran and cope with non-existence of vanilla and high quality chocolate.
She introduced the French ceremonial pastries to her society: Buche de Noel, Croquembouche, and Galette de Rois are common names in Iran nowadays.
As a 36 years old entrepreneur mother building her business, with a dream to learn from French chefs, she studied at “Le Cordon Bleu” to further pursue her dreams. She wanted her people to experience quality and taste locally. Therefore with her motherhood passion to bake and prepare culinary experiences, she made an excuse for people to get together in her café or their homes and taste it together. She always had the dream of working in professional kitchens, thus she introduced French kitchen ranks to her team and educated them to work in a professional environment.
Cordon Bleu
In 2018, Shahrzad, accompanied by her husband, daughter, and mother, went to Paris to study her favorite field at one of the world’s best culinary and pastry schools, Le Cordon Bleu. After completing her course and obtaining her degree, she returned to Tehran and continued her work at one of the city’s restaurants.
Femme Chic Patisserie
The idea was formed in December 2018: a 80 year old shop in heart of Tehran. It used to be a luxury local handbag boutique for more than 60 years under the name “Femme Chic”, inspired by French, specially Channel.
The renovation was done in a way to be loyal with “Art Deco”, taken from previous design and facade.
It is a pastry boutique with a unique show case fridge displaying only one sample of each pastry, an Espresso machine and a boiler, 3 tables with 8 seats inside and 2 tables with 6 seats on the pavement. There is a kitchen (20 sqm) in the basement.
The location in downtown Tehran made it possible for businesses
and embassies daily from 7.30 to 22 to have access to top quality pastries, breads and viennoiseries that were not available there before.For Chef Shahrzad, it is a dream that came true in heart of Tehran, EnghelabStreet, a major east-west route going through Tehran. The street holds childhood memories of Chef, her parents and many locals; having nostalgic food on the same street long time ago. The location is a symbol of originality and authenticity in Tehran, which was fading but rejuvenated.
Shahrzad’s pastry business started there with a couple of young talents in that 20 sqm basement. It is now an icon and keeps thriving.
L’Atelier de Shahrzad Shokouhivand
It started in December 2020, in a 240 sqm store in North of Tehran. The design is inspired from “Art Deco” accompanied with copper as an Iranian craftmanship symbol and Persian Blue taken from historic monuments.
The plan is in five floors:
1. Museum: Pastry and bakery shop. A very unique design treats pastries as jewels, showcasing them in separated artistically crafted cylindrical refrigerators designed and built specifically for the atelier.
2. Atelier P: Pastry open kitchen (45 sqm)
3. Vault: Dining area with pastries hidden away in vault-like copper fridges. A total of 9 tables with 35 seats are served with pastries, breakfast and small dishes daily from 7:30 to 22:00. A coffee and drinks bar is the centerpiece.
4. Atelier B: Breakfast/small dishes open kitchen (50 sqm)
5. A Preparation (90 sqm) and Bakery (50 sqm) kitchen (starting at 3 a.m.) is located on 5th floor.Chef Shahrzad as the executive chef supervises her team, a Sous Chef and a team of four Chef de Parties manage each kitchen, and about 40 cooks. All members have been trained by Chef Shahrzad as apprentice with almost no experience in pastry and kitchen.
The idea is to show the neat kitchen while excellent techniques are being conducted with the highest quality by young chefs, inspiring people to the culinary atmosphere and taking the level of cooking as a job higher. A total of 283 items (pastries to drinks) are being produced and served in the shop..
Creations & Fusions
Shahrzad honors nostalgia and clearly believes scent and color has special meanings. Tastes have a story from childhood and memories. While encountering the importance and sacred of Iranian pistachio in French kitchens, she knew that she should revisit Iranian edible heritage and make them presentable in a pastry boutique. Using French techniques she created:
•Baba Tabrizi: A boutique presentation of a very famous Iranian homemade pancake, “Gheyghanakh”. It is inspired from “Baba Au Rum”, baked in same shape and soaked in saffron and cardamom syrup. It has wild pistachio praline inside and Persian pistachio Mousseline cream.
•Persian Black Lime Tart: Black lime is usually used in stews and savories in Iran. For the very first time, the unique taste has been made into confit and then Crème Légère to be used over almond tart shell and barberry confit.
•Bal-Gheymagh Éclair: Clotted cream and honey, an Iranian famous breakfast, usually spread over a piece of bread, has been made as an éclair filling.
•Signature Macarons: Naturally colored shells with no artificial coloring and flavors 1)Saffron and Persian Black Lime ganache 2)100% Pistachio 3)Echium with Lavender ganache 4)Beetroot with Raspberry ganache
•Pomegranate tart: Pomegranate and Persian hogweeds as reminder of “Yalda Night” in Iran. The duo is usually a savory but has been made into pastry.
•Pomegranate and Barberry Opera cake with Persian Pistachio Biscuit Joconde
•Love Nest: Cacao mille-feuille with Persian almond marzipan
•Siah Bisheh (Black Forest): Made with Persian sour-cherry confit, named after nostalgic “Siah Bisheh” village (literally Black Forrest in Farsi) that grows high quality sour-cherry.
•Pink Roulette: Made with Ruby Chocolate, with lavender infused ganache monte as a BreastCancer Awareness symbol, a pink ribbon.
Classic French
A wide range of traditional French pastries and breads are baked and sold daily:
•Paris-Brest: a prominent member of boutiques, made with high quality Iranian hazelnut and wild pistachios pralines
•Parisian Salted Caramel Flan
•Madeleines
•Viennoiseries: Chausson au Pomme, Croissant, Pain au Chocolate, KouignAmann, and …
•Baguettes and Brioches
•Tarte Tropézienne
•Fraisier
•Saint-Honore
•Petit Fours
•Apple Tart
•Tarts
Ceremonial
Ceremonial pastries and treats are made regularly or based on occasions:
•Croquembouche: made by order for weddings and anniversaries
•Galette de Rois: sold during January with a Feve inside making Iranians acquainted with it
•Buche de Noel: available in different styles for the new year
•Giant Saint-Honore: made by order for events and wedding in big sizes
•Macaron and Madeliene towers
•Iranian New Year (Nowruz) Special Pastries
•Valentine’s Day Special pastries and treats
Plates
Food and savories are also being made and served
•Breakfast: Served daily from 8 to 13. Menu is based on fine dine style items with focus on presentation and taste.
•Small Dishes: Served daily from 13.30 to 22. Menu is based on breads baked in house. All items including sauces and filling are house made.
•Afternoon tea: Depending on seasonality and the occasion, the items are designed and served. Savories, pastries and breads alongside a selection of teas and herbal drinks are offered. It has been offered with at a special event for Mother’s day and during the month of Ramadan.
Achievements
Shahrzad was awarded the **Ordre du Mérite Agricole** (Order of Agricultural Merit) by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty of the French Republic. This honor recognized her outstanding contributions to agriculture, particularly in the culinary arts, which have enhanced France’s cultural prestige globally and facilitated the exchange of knowledge and dialogue between cultures.
The knighthood ceremony took place at the French Embassy in Iran on August 2, 2023, and was presided over by the French Ambassador to Iran, Mr. Nicolas Roche. Shahrzad became the first Iranian recipient of this distinction.
•Design and teach Pastry Course in “Shariati Technical and Vocational College” and “ Bake Academy”
•Pastry Chef in 2021 “Gout de France” Event in Tehran French Embassy
•Presenting in licensed TEDx by University of Tehran 2022 Event, Theme: Sources of Insight
•Receiving Excellent Grading from Tehran Confectionary and Pastry Café Association
•Training more than 100 Iranians with no background into cooking and pastry during 4 years in her pastry boutiques