If you love macarons, then you have one man to thank for their renaissance. It was during the 1980s that the French pastry chef Pierre Hermé revived the rainbow-coloured French fancies with his range of exciting new flavours such as caramel, pistachio and lemon. They were an instant hit in Paris and their popularity has spread worldwide, even in the UK they've become a fierce rival to the British cupcake.  Hermé was perhaps destined to make a global impact on our tastebuds, because the fine art of patisserie runs is an integral part of his DNA."I was born in a bakery shop," he says, "I am the fourth generation of my family to be a pastry chef." He started his career aged 14 as apprentice to the legendary pâtissier Gaston Lenôtre and was the youngest person ever to be named France's Pastry Chef of the Year. He worked as pastry consultant and chef to Ladurée and Fauchon before establishing his own brand Pierre Hermé Paris in 1998.  A true innovator, his chocolate creations are as inventive as his macarons. This Easter sees Hermé elevate the simple egg to an edible artwork with his limited edition tribute to Swiss artist Beat Zoderer that sees multicoloured ribbons of chocolate wrapped around the shell of an egg of Pure Origine Brésil Plantation Paineiras dark chocolate, flavoured with hints of citrus fruit, red berry and spices.  We caught up with Hermé at his creative base in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, which is unsurprisingly no mere kitchen but a Patrick-Jouin designed space. "I wanted to have it like an apartment, somewhere you can meet friends, journalists and clients, it's a good place for working."
A behind the scenes look at the Parisian workshop of the French master pastry chef and chocolatier. Video by Steven Fisher