Francois Payard Is Planning to Open New Pastry Shops

New York Social Diary

Francios Payard encourages womanly excess.

Well, here's some good news for those continuing to bemoan the closure of Payard and feeling underwhelmed by its owner's resurrection in a jewelry store: it looks like Francois Payard is planning to open not one, but two new pastry shops.

DessertBuzz reports that Payard, whose eponymous restaurant closed last spring, is in the process of signing the lease for two new shops. While details remain scant, the chef told the website that "it won't be a restaurant this time because of the location we are looking at. It will be two pastry shop cafe's [sic] at the same time with very big production capability."

Although there's no word yet on what he's planning to serve in his shops, Payard did admit that he loves "cookies much more than pastry," and is, like, so over cupcakes. He also asked, "Where is a place where you can have hot chocolate?", echoing one of the great existential conundrums of our modern age.

[Via Eater]