French pastry chef Oliver Stievenard began his career at 18 years of age working in the renowned Michelin-star restaurant, Brasserie Lutetia in Paris. Olivier attributes these early years as the formative time where he learned his craft, saying “I believe it was these years at Lutetia where I learnt everything I know today about the art of being a pastry chef.”
Continuing his career in Château de Marcay and Hotel Royal Monceau among others, Olivier eventually opened his own chocolate shop in the north of France at the age of 27. Pâtisserie Chocolaterie Stievenard, which he owned and ran successfully for six years, served his own baked goods, pastries, chocolate and ice cream, while Olivier also taught the art of pâtisserie to students in a local college for a number of years.
To further develop his career internationally & improve his English, Olivier moved to the UK in 2014 where he helped to open two French pâtisseries – The French Pâtisserie and The French Corner, both in Manchester. It was while in Manchester that he made many Irish friends in the industry and was persuaded to spend a year working around the country, falling in love with Ireland, and confirming for him that he would enjoy living and working here long term.
Before settling down here, Olivier took a role in the Caribbean for three years where he worked on a private island in Antigua as Executive Pastry Chef at Jumby Bay Island luxury resort. In January 2022, Olivier returned to Ireland to take over as Executive Pastry Chef for the newly launched Cashel Palace in Tipperary, from which he joined Adare Manor as Executive Pastry Chef. He has moved to Adare with his wife and children and in his spare time enjoys gardening and growing vegetables and herbs which he uses in his cooking at home.
