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Creativity
Pastry has undergone enormous development in recent decades. When Bernard and Anne took over DelRey, pies were a lot simpler. Think: biscuits with either raspberry, lemon or cassis and mousse inside. Three layers of bavarois in between already made jaws drop.
Today, however, we are no longer satisfied with that. Patisserie has become lighter and more refined . In addition to a biscuit, the inside of a pastry must also look spectacular, preferably with a crisp inside, a tasty ganache around it and a decor piece on top.
The fact that we have always played a pioneering role in this is undoubtedly due to Bernard's background at the leading pastry shop Wittamer in Brussels and to the arrival of Gunther Van Essche , who has limitless creativity. But also to our membership at Relais Desserts . We constantly exchange ideas, continue to learn and keep our finger on the pulse.
In the 80s, most cakes were still decorated with lots of whipped cream and pieces of fruit. What DelRey did was different from the start. Something that people noticed. It was a new form of French pastry.
Artisan craftsmanship
We try to work as artisanally as possible. Every cookie, praline or cake passes through our hands several times. Yet we do not shy away from modern technology .
Fortunately, the time when you were not allowed to use a freezer is long behind us. But we also purchased a hyper-advanced laser device . This works so well that you can cut out beautiful shapes in chocolate quickly and in more detail than by hand . Perfect for cutting out logos or decorating cakes.
Yet we never want to innovate for the sake of innovating, only to improve quality.
Good ingredients
The basis of a tasty product are good ingredients . For example, we only work with butter and never with margarine. The taste and smell are unparalleled. But a lemon cake with lemons from Amalfi, Italy, also tastes much more intense than with lemons from the supermarket. We are constantly looking for something better than yesterday.
We try to make as much as possible ourselves , but we purchase what someone else excels in. For example, we go for a premium maker for our marzipan, but we prepare our raspberry ganache from fresh frozen raspberries with fresh herbs ourselves.
But the most important thing is of course our chocolate . We purchase them directly from Barry Callebaut and Valrhona . Each company has its own types of chocolates, origins and specialties. Based on our selection, we make our own unique blend with which we create our pralines.
We use 20 different types of original chocolate for our ganaches , each of which we mix with a different ingredient that suits it perfectly. Time and again we are looking for the ideal match that brings out the best in each other .
Constant quality
Creativity and craftsmanship are two important pillars at DelRey. The big challenge, however, is to find a constant in this. We do this by digitizing our recipes . We can recreate all the cakes we have ever made exactly years later. We have been making some pralines and cookies for more than 70 years!
We carefully record each quantity, type of ingredient and technique in a program . As a result, we know exactly how many raw materials we need, we work approximately zero waste and the customer always gets what he or she expects .
Luxurious, yet accessible style
Anyone who buys from DelRey also chooses an experience . We want to make you feel at ease as soon as you enter our store, but also want to give you a unique experience . A big smile, a discreet wink or a warm greeting. We quickly sense our type of customer.
And we continue this both in the store and in the tearoom, right up to the packaging of your delicacies. Our greatest compliment is to hear that someone chooses DelRey because they want to be sure that the cake, pralines or cookies will be of impeccable quality for an important moment.
Our style is somewhere between classical and rock 'n roll . With us you will find a praline with a good praline, but also original chocolate with a crispy sesame base and a sesame ganache or with spiced raspberry and salted caramel or matcha with roses and lavender. Our flavors are never extreme, but accessible . After one praline, you will undoubtedly want a second, and a third…
Yet we want to radiate a certain exclusivity and class . We want you to be proud of what you bought. It may be a little more expensive than your average bakery, but you also get something more special. We never make compromises . It must be downright finished.
Passion
But what unites us above all is passion . Passion for the product and entrepreneurship. We do this every day with all our attention, strength and commitment because we enjoy doing it. Chocolate is an emotion . We want people to experience that emotion, that they like our chocolate. That gives us the greatest satisfaction.
Keep up with the times
And finally, we are not in an ivory tower . We have a good sense of what is going on in society and with our audience. What are we doing?
We switched from synthetic dyes to all-natural ones .
We are examining whether we can delete all E numbers and replace them with equivalent alternatives.
We are investigating whether we can develop vegan pastry without denying ourselves.
Real butter is of course a crucial seasoning.
We try to become more sustainable where possible and look critically at our packaging.
But taste and quality always prevail. To bring any change to a successful conclusion, a lot of testing is required beforehand.