The École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie (ENSP), a world-renowned benchmark in the pastry-making and ice cream-making arts in Yssingeaux (Haute-Loire, France), has officially inaugurated the new extension to its 2,300 sqm campus.
Initiated in June 2022, the project meets ENSP’s need to expand in response to growing demand for pastry training. In all, the extension includes three new classrooms, four laboratories and 32 student apartments. As a result, the ENSP has grown from 5,000 sqm to 7,300 sqm, making it the world’s largest campus dedicated to the “Sweet Arts”.
During the inauguration ceremony, Chef and double Meilleur Ouvrier de France Yves Thuriès was recognised with the extension being named in his honour – a fitting way to underline his involvement and commitment to the school he took over in 2007 alongside École Ducasse founder Alain Ducasse.
Over the past 40 years, ENSP has established itself as the benchmark school of excellence in the world of the “Sweet Arts”, offering training in pastry-making, chocolate-making, confectionery, ice cream-making and baking.
With 19 pastry chef trainers and 25 academic teachers, the school trains 1,500 students from more than 70 different nationalities throughout the year. Offering an extensive portfolio of training courses, the ENSP is the benchmark for all leading professionals in the “Sweet Arts”, who come to perfect their expertise or develop new ones with the world’s greatest experts.
The broad portfolio of programs caters for all training needs in the field: from undergraduate courses such as the three-year Diplôme Supérieur des Arts Pâtissiers, to intensive retraining programs such as the eight-month CAP Pâtissier, the eight-month Diplôme des Arts de la Pâtisserie Française, and the two-month Essentiels de la Pâtisserie Française course.
In addition to these programs, an array of 70 professional training courses is available on site, taught by Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, World Champions and acknowledged experts. The great names in French and international patisserie have trained here and return to perfect their techniques.
Elise Masurel, Managing Director of École Ducasse, said: “We are extremely proud that this project has come to fruition, further consolidating the excellence of our schools in France, in parallel with their international expansion.”
Luc Debove, Director and Executive Chef of the ENSP, World Ice Cream Champion and Meilleur Ouvrier de France Glacier, holder of the Ordre National du Mérite Agricole distinction and project leader, said: “This is far more than a simple achievement for ENSP, as this extension will enable our school to become the largest campus in the world dedicated to the ‘Sweet Arts’. It also represents a major opportunity for Yssingeaux and the entire region, which is now emerging as a strategic hub for the pastry industry worldwide, with all the benefits this brings from a local standpoint.”
Other speakers at the inauguration were: Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region; Marie-Agnès Petit, President of the Haute-Loire Department; Yvan Cordier, Prefect of the Haute-Loire Department; and Pierre Liogier, Mayor of Yssingeaux.