Le Parc and La Tarte: A match made in pâtisserie heaven
Le Parc, the French-inspired food emporium, has partnered with award-winning pastry chef Jared Melamed, the creative force behind La Tarte Pâtisserie, to introduce a new collection of French pâtisserie to its dessert counter. The collection will be available at Le Parc Hyde Park as well as the new Le Parc Polofields, which opens this July.
“My pastry identity is shaped by a deep respect for craftsmanship, restraint and honesty in flavour,” says Melamed. “Every element on the plate needs a purpose, whether it’s there for texture, balance or emotion. I want people to taste something that feels elegant, familiar and memorable all at once.”
Self-taught, and shaped by nearly two decades spent travelling and tasting across more than 45 countries, Melamed has built La Tarte into one of the most talked-about names in South African pâtisserie: pastry that is classical at its core, but bold, textural and unmistakably modern in execution.
The dessert range developed for Le Parc moves between bright and indulgent: fresh, fruit-led desserts built for lightness after a meal; and richer, more textural creations layered with hazelnut praline, coffee, caramel and chocolate. Among them, two draw on centuries-old
French baking traditions: the Marble Travel Cake, inspired by 17th-century travel cakes designed to survive long journeys without refrigeration, and the French Vanilla Flan, rooted in the medieval custard tarts that became one of Paris’s most iconic pâtisserie staples.
Alongside these, six more pastries round out the collection, each with its own personality:
- Miss Exotic – passion fruit curd and coconut mousse on a pâte sucrée base
- Le Citron – silky lemon insert and Japanese lemon sponge beneath a white chocolate shell
- Mille-Feuille – caramelised puff pastry layered with vanilla crème pâtissière, salted caramel and toasted pecans
- Tiramisu Cloud – coffee-soaked sponge, coffee almond praline and white chocolate velour
- Red Fruits Charlotte – vanilla whipped ganache, strawberry marmalade and fresh red fruits
- Miss Noisette – chocolate mousse and hazelnut praline beneath a milk chocolate mirror glaze
Each dessert is the result of a process Melamed doesn’t take lightly: every recipe goes through 20 to 30 days of testing and refinement (repeated tastings, ratio adjustments, remeasuring) before it’s considered finished enough to carry the La Tarte name – and now, Le Parc’s.
The desserts will rotate on a seasonal, demand-driven basis, and Melamed is already working on custom creations that will be available exclusively in the Le Parc Emporium.. The collaboration is described by both parties as ongoing and ever-growing.
“Le Parc is a luxury French-style café, and La Tarte makes luxury French pastries – it’s a match made in pâtisserie heaven and there’s no better space for this level of craftsmanship to live,” says Melissa Broodryk, owner and operator at LeParc. “It allows us to bring something delicious, and truly special to our guests: an even more elevated dessert experience within the world of Le Parc.”
The Le Parc x La Tarte dessert collaboration is available now at Le Parc, Upper Level, Hyde Park Corner, and will soon be available at the new Le Parc Polofields.
