SPREAD THE LOVE
We’ve all got things that tie us to our roots. For some, it’s a film you huddle around on Christmas Eve, or perhaps sifting through family photos is your nostalgia dose of choice. For local pastry chef Corentin Esquenet, it’s food. He wants to share these edible memories with others through his brand, Butter.
Corentin and his family emigrated to Wellington when he was 10. Local cuisine was far and away from the vineyards of Champagne, where he grew up.
“We moved here because my mum’s side of the family already lived here, and it was a huge cultural shift, especially when it comes to food – language obviously – but the food was so different here. And I think that’s a little bit of what Butter was born out of. I think it’s about trying to reconnect my early childhood memories to the food that I eat now.”
Butter came to be out of chance. After trying out various careers, Corentin took a leap and studied Patisserie at Ara. Following this, he won gold at Nestle’s annual Toque D’Or, had several good jobs under his belt, and even gained a visa for experience in the United Kingdom, with a job lined up at one of the top restaurants in London. Overseas seemed like the logical move, until circumstances that none of us saw coming changed everything.
“I started Butter definitely because of COVID. I was just trying to get out of New Zealand to get experience… I figured that was the path to take until I realised how difficult it would be for me and that it wasn’t the direction that I wanted to go in. COVID-19 put a nail in the coffin for that.”
After seeing there was a hole in the market for ‘something to celebrate with that wasn’t cake’, the age of Butter dawned – a way for Corentin to perfect his craft but also share the food he loves.
“I wanted a project that I could channel my energy, my creativity into. Something that I could learn and develop from. That is the most important thing, to not get stale, for me to be constantly learning, and to improve on what I’m doing.”
Now, a year on from starting the business, he’s in a commercial kitchen space, has growing popularity, and he has been blown away by the support of the local community.
“My biggest surprise has been how much small businesses in Christchurch love and encourage each other. I think that’s very unique to Christchurch. It’s validating for my product to be well received by people I really admire.”
The Butter menu features traditional French patisserie with a modern twist and is constantly evolving. When asked what his favourite product to make is, he was set on the canelés.
“They’re the simplest to make, but they’re the most magical to me. What the batter becomes is the closest I can do to a magic trick.” A canelé mould is copper, and individually coated in beeswax to ensure a crisp, caramelised crust, encasing a custardy-soft inside.
With a slick online presence, Butter operates as a pick-up or delivery service, catering to the Christchurch area. Corentin will even come and drop the delicious treats off in person.