Fine pastry meets luxury: multisensory experiences, hospitality and high-end lifestyle

At the Pastry Arena of SIGEP 2025, a new paradigm emerged for foodservice professionals working in premium markets. Pastry is no longer just a menu element—it is a strategic tool to create value, identity and guest experience. Through real-world examples, chefs, and managers showed how desserts can drive branding, storytelling and new business formats.

Fabrizio Fiorani: pastry as a form of design

In the talk “Customizing pastry: the encounter between Fiorani and CampoMarzio70”, pastry chef Fabrizio Fiorani explored pastry as a multisensory object. Inspired by fashion, architecture and perfumery, his creations aim to surprise and connect.

One of his most striking inventions is the edible tester, a scented strip of flavored paper inspired by fragrance blotters, developed for CampoMarzio70.

It’s designed to be smelled and then eaten, an elegant, sensory twist on a familiar gesture. Ideal for luxury pop-ups, welcome gifts or retail activations.

Another playful concept is Happy Pills: chocolate bites packaged in pharmaceutical-style blister packs, served without instructions. The guest explores freely, transforming the dessert into a game and a story.

With the mini caffè by BMW Roma project, Fiorani designed a full pastry line inspired by MINI’s design language, using custom molds created with Pavonitalia. The dessert becomes part of a brand ecosystem, merging food and design

Vincenzo D’Ascanio café: aesthetic pastry, tailored luxury

In “Fine pastry meets luxury lifestyle: the Dascanio Café case”, chef Imma Iovine presented a bespoke approach where each pastry offering is tailored to its specific location. No standardized menus—each café is designed to reflect its territory.

During Christmas 2024, the "Palazzo Magia" pop-up in Milan showcased the Christmas capsule collection, featuring mono-portions, cookies, pralines, and jar desserts in luxury packaging with a strong storytelling component.

At the permanent cafés in Portofino, San Moritz and Noto, desserts vary from reimagined Sicilian cassata to contemporary alpine-inspired sweets. Packaging, ingredients and aesthetic all reflect local culture.

Hotels and pastry: a strategic synergy

In the panel “New markets for fine pastry”, Four Seasons Milano, Grand Hotel Gallia, L’Albereta and Constance Hotels revealed how pastry is becoming a revenue and branding driver.

At Four Seasons Milano, over 5,000 tiramisù were sold in a year, alongside 1,500 panettoni and €26,000 in hot chocolate during one holiday month. Two pastry teams focus on service and production, making desserts part of the hotel’s identity.

Grand Hotel Gallia created pastry pop-ups and a premium delivery service.

L’Albereta developed five F&B venues with unique dessert offerings—from comfort classics like chocolate choux to playful items like mandarin mousse with caramel popcorn.

At La Mamounia in Marrakech, the Pierre Hermé boutique generates €800,000 annually through artisanal pastry for hotel guests and external clients.

Dessert as a strategic asset for foodservice

The projects presented at SIGEP World 2025 clearly show that pastry is evolving from a finishing touch to a key element in brand storytelling and guest engagement. Whether in a boutique hotel, luxury café or international resort, dessert now plays a central role in creating emotional connections, adding value and delivering memorable experiences.

For foodservice professionals, the challenge goes beyond technical skill. It requires creativity, vision and cultural sensitivity: designing desserts that speak, surprise and reflect a brand’s unique character. Pastry can be the first step toward turning a guest into an ambassador of taste and experience.