A fascination for the sweeter things

It was never Pavel’s plan to become a pastry chef. When he first came to Stavanger, he worked at several well-reputed restaurants, including Renaa and Tango. It was at Tango his fascination for the sweeter things was really brought to life. “After some time at the restaurant I was put in charge of the dessert menu, and started experimenting with new combinations”, he explains. Up until this point, desserts had only been one of many things on his repertoire.

Pavel is full of ambition, and his brainchild La Fève is where his creativity and passion can run free. The name La Fève is a tribute to the ultimate star of the show: the cocoa bean. Pavel is self-taught when it comes to chocolate, and this unique road is perhaps why it’s been so successful. Rather than being trained after set techniques and traditions, he has carved his own path and made La Fève utterly unique. “Our curiosity regarding textures and unique taste combinations is our strength”, he says about his team at La Fève. Pavel has taught himself many a skill over the years and stresses the importance to never stop learning, and how much you learn when you dare to make mistakes. “When you’re on your own you make mistakes and learn a lot”, Pavel concludes.

A taste for awards

Already in the early days of La Fève, Pavel received plenty of praise for his chocolate. “I was of course very pleased with the feedback, but I was still wondering if I really was that good”, he explains. Pavel decided to get an expert opinion on his sweet creations. The first step was to enter The International Chocolate Award, which was held in Guatemala in November 2019. It was a successful debut – he was awarded medals in the final, and that lit a spark in the Bulgarian pastry chef. The next competition took place already a few months later at the Academy of Chocolate in London, where he was awarded both gold, silver and bronze medals for some of his contributions. “I was extremely surprised and proud; I’ve learned to make chocolate by myself and now I’m winning medals in international competitions”.

He’s now got a real taste for awards: “Gold is the only way to win, and the sky is the limit”, Pavel laughs. He has certainly come a long way in the culinary world, using his creativity and perfectionism to come up with winning combination, quite literally.

Passion for detail

Pavel and his team have a deep respect for the ingredients and will only use raw materials of the utmost quality – like the famous Valrhona chocolate. Chocolate connoisseurs will know that this is the kind of chocolate you can expect at high-end restaurants. The great majority of the chocolates and cakes at La Fève are made completely without preservatives to ensure exquisite quality and are therefore considered fresh produce. Even the flavours and colours are completely natural. All the creations are of course handcrafted, and every piece of chocolate and slice of cake are little masterpieces where taste, quality and beauty are equally important. “Passion for detail is our focus”, Pavel says, and at La Fève they’re always striving for perfection.

Your perfect chocolate match

“Norwegians are becoming more experimental and willing to try new flavours and combinations”, he says. It can be challenging to know what to treat yourself to when you have so many unique creations to choose from, but at La Fève they’re ready to find the perfect match for your taste buds. “I ask the customers questions such as what flavours they like, if they want something classic or perhaps would like to try something new, and by doing so we can eliminate the alternatives and find the perfect match for them”. When asked what his own favourites are, he explains that he has a lot of favourites, particularly from the brand-new line he’s currently working on. “It consists of 28 unique pieces, and each piece has a small history to my heart”, Pavel says with a smile.