About Thomas Albert
Thomas Albert is a pastry chef consultant and trainer, specializing in alternative pastry (gluten-free, plant-based, low glycemic index). Founder of T.A. Consulting, he works with professionals, schools and brands from his base in Montpellier, France.
My background
From foundational training to international institutions, my career bridges classical pastry, Michelin-starred gastronomy and culinary education:
- CAP Pâtisserie + Complémentaire (Chocolate & Confectionery)
- Traiteur de France — Nancy
- Restaurant du Parc des Eaux Vives — Geneva (2 Michelin stars)
- InVivo — Montpellier
- Le Cordon Bleu — Bangkok
- École Ducasse — Paris
- La Source — Paris (sustainable pastry CAP)
- La Folie Douce
- Advanced B.Concept Diploma — Jordi Bordas (2024)
This journey across teaching, palace kitchens and R&D labs fuels one conviction: professional pastry deserves a technical, creative and context-aware approach — tuned to today's real-world constraints around health, allergies, sustainability and production feasibility.
My approach
I practice a pastry that is technical, sensory and reasoned. Every project — whether a menu, a product range, a training or a reformulation — begins with a precise reading of constraints: available ingredients, target dietary profiles, equipment, margin, production time, brand positioning.
This methodical lens aligns recipe, cost, customer experience and feasibility. My method rests on three pillars inherited from starred kitchens and modern R&D:
- Formulation rigor: sugar-water-fat-fiber balance, texture control, shelf-life stability.
- Contextual creativity: a recipe must serve a use, not the other way around. A plated dessert, a display entremets and a travel cake do not follow the same rules.
- Applied pedagogy: I teach what I practice, with materials designed for reproduction in workshops, schools and labs.
My areas of expertise
Alternative pastry
Gluten-free, plant-based, low glycemic index, and dietary adaptation (diabetes, allergies, intolerances). I reformulate classic recipes or design full product ranges for restaurants, bakeries, brands and schools. The goal: preserve flavor, texture and visual appeal while strictly respecting the dietary constraint.
Research & development
Recipe formulation and reformulation for brands and manufacturers: ingredient validation, texture engineering, stabilization, industrialization. I work from concept phase through to production-ready technical documentation, with a focus on sugar reduction, egg replacement and integration of functional ingredients.
Professional training
Workshops for on-site teams, short modules for culinary schools (CAP, Bachelor level), custom training for hotel groups. Content is modular: techniques (chocolate, entremets, viennoiserie, ice cream), themes (gluten-free, plant-based, sugar reduction), or methods (GI calculation, cost engineering, production planning).
Technical and editorial writing
Technical sheets, documented recipes, in-depth articles, educational content and brand materials. I write what I cook and cook what I write: every text is tested, sourced and designed for professional use — not for generic storytelling.
Certifications and credentials
- CAP Pâtisserie — French state diploma, foundation of professional pastry.
- Mention Complémentaire Chocolaterie-Confiserie — post-CAP specialization in chocolate work, chocolate bonbons and confectionery.
- Advanced B.Concept Diploma — elite training delivered by chef Jordi Bordas, 2011 Pastry World Champion, on the B.Concept method of reasoned formulation (obtained in 2024).
- Sustainable pastry CAP — La Source Foodschool, Paris. Sustainability-focused approach to sweet production.
Where I work
Based in Montpellier, France, I work throughout France and internationally. Typical service areas:
- France — restaurants, production labs, culinary schools, brands.
- Switzerland — fine-dining establishments, luxury hotels, team training.
- United Arab Emirates — luxury hospitality, international restaurants.
- Thailand — Le Cordon Bleu Bangkok, occasional projects across Southeast Asia.
Engagements can be on-site (workshops, in-lab R&D, production audits), remote (distance training, consulting, writing), or hybrid depending on client needs.
My values
Technical rigor. Pastry is a precise discipline. A recipe that fails to reproduce, a texture that shifts, a cost that runs away: these are engineering problems, which I address as such — not as matters of intuition.
Transmission. What I learn, I share. Every engagement leaves behind a document, a method, a vocabulary — so the client can move forward without depending on me.
Adaptation. No recipe is universal. The same dessert doesn't mean the same thing in a bistro, a palace, a school or a consumer brand. I always start from context, never from dogma.
Sustainability. Sugar reduction, responsible sourcing, waste management, by-product valorization: professional pastry needs to evolve, and I choose to support this evolution rather than resist it.
