Parker-Lusseau Pastries, Inc.

What 3 words describe your work? Elegant. Clean. Organized.

Why should someone hire you? Our cakes taste as good as they look. A free tasting to sample our different combinations of flavors is offered in a relaxed atmosphere.

What are the common misconceptions about your services? French = Expensive. We are not inexpensive; however, we only use the best quality ingredients (no jam fillings, no mixes…)

What drew you to this field/how did you get started? The many facets of the pastry field… the taste, the artistic possibilities…the chance to travel the world with our knowledge.

What are some of sources of inspiration or influences on your work? We’re inspired by the French pastry chefs that we’ve worked with and kept in touch with; nearly every year we return to France to find additional inspiration. There are many great American pastry chefs that we network with as well.

Tell us about a favorite, unusual or most interesting moment at a wedding: We deliver the cakes prior to the wedding. We do have one story to tell you: While delivering a 4-tiered cake to Ventana Inn in Big Sur, I drove over a very large speed bump and the cake leaned to one side damaging one side of the tiers. As always, I carry my tools with me and I had an hour before the reception to whip up fresh buttercream and refinish the cake. Weeks later, the bride sent us a picture of the cake and said “thank you…it was the most beautiful cake I have ever seen.” We smiled.

What have weddings have taught you? To be open and have different ideas. Brides can bring pictures from magazines and we do our very best to meet their expectations.

What is the best advice you give to a couple when planning their wedding? Relax, go with your instincts. Talk to people and get referrals. Ask for personal recommendations; don’t just use the websites.

If you could have any superpower on the job, what would it be? Flying our cakes over traffic congestion.

What are 3 words that describe your personality? Social, charming (with the help of Yann’s French accent!), and resourceful.

What is your favorite quote? “Impossible n’est pas français.” (“Impossible is not French.”) —Napoleon

Extracurricular Activities: We love hiking, surfing (Yann), knitting (Anne) and spending a lot of time with our young son.

What’s your favorite way to wind down after a hard day? A glass of Bordeaux.