Tucked away in the 6th Arrondissement of Paris is a confectionery shop unlike any other. 隱身在巴黎第六區有間與眾不同的甜食店。
It's home to some of the most artistic, delectable and unusual sugary treats, straight from the imagination of Pierre Herme. 裡面有一些最有藝術氣息、美味且非比尋常的甜品，直接出自皮耶．艾爾梅的想像力。
Dubbed "The Picasso of Pastry" by French Vogue, he's known for his mastery of the macaron. 他被法文《時尚》雜誌封為「糕點界的畢卡索」，以擅長馬卡龍著稱。
Fusing unusual flavors, he continues to transform this traditional French dessert into little drops of edible luxury. 他融合獨特的口味，不斷將這種法國傳統甜點轉變成一顆顆可以吃的奢侈品。
Beyond his creativity, he also sets himself apart by approaching his craft with the mindset of a high-end fashion designer, 除了他的創意，他還推群獨步將手藝結合高檔時尚設計師的思維，
releasing his product in seasons and creating haute couture delicacies for select customers. 隨季節推出商品，並為一流顧客創作精緻美饌。
Today, his multimillion-dollar epicurean empire stretches across the globe from Paris to Tokyo and most recently to Hong Kong, 現在，他那市值數百萬美元的美食主義王國拓展到全球各地，從巴黎到東京，最近則進軍香港，
where his macarons are being devoured despite costing almost $3 each. 他的馬卡龍在當地雖然每顆售價將近三美元，仍然被人大快朵頤吃下肚。
This week on Talk Asia, 在本週的《亞洲名人聊天室》，
we take a culinary journey with Pierre Herme 我們和皮耶．艾爾梅一起來一趟美味之旅，
and discover how the son of an Alsatian baker became the first pastry chef to be awarded France's highest honor. 發掘這位阿爾薩斯的麵包師之子如何變成第一位獲頒法國最高榮譽的甜點師傅。
I have to say, it's gonna be very difficult to be unbiased because I am a huge dessert lover. 我得說，要維持公正客觀非常困難，因為我是個非常喜愛甜點的人。
That is my weakness. And it seems as though it is the guilty pleasure of many people, no more so than those in Asia. 那是我的弱點。而且這似乎是許多人的罪惡享樂，亞洲人士尤甚。
What do you think it is about les macarons, or the French pastries, that Asians seem to love? 你覺得馬卡龍或法國糕點有什麼特色，讓亞洲人似乎很喜愛？
For the macaron, probably it's because it's just one or two bites. 關於馬卡龍，也許就因為只有一、二口。
You feel... you know, you don't feel [you are] having a lot of food, just [a] little bite. 你會感覺……你不會覺得吃了很多食物，只是一小口。
And in a macaron, you can have a lot of taste and the taste combination and then texture combination. 在一顆馬卡龍裡，你可以品嚐到許多滋味，以及滋味的組合和口感的組合。
It's just that one bite, isn't it, that is an explosion of flavor? 只是那麼一口，就能感到口味爆開來，對嗎？
And it seems as though you've also had a lot of inspiration from Asia when it comes to the kind of flavor combinations. 談到口味組合的種類，似乎你也從亞洲得到許多靈感。
The inspiration is coming from everywhere. 靈感來源無所不在。
So it could be a conversation between us, could be an ingredient, could be something I read. 可能是我們之間的對談，可能是一種食材，可能是我讀到的東西。
Inspiration, it's often in the air. 靈感通常就存在空氣中。
When I started to work in pastry, that was in the mid '70s, 我開始從事糕點業時，那是在七○年代，
I learned to make macaron, but it was only vanilla, raspberry, coffee and chocolate. 我學會製作馬卡龍，但只有香草、覆盆子、咖啡和巧克力口味，
And it was just two biscuits with a little bit [of] filling inside. 就只是兩塊餅乾裡面夾一點餡料。
So, I didn't like the macaron very much. 所以我並不是很喜歡馬卡龍。
I understand that what it gives the taste to the macaron is the filling, so I decided to have more filling. 我知道賦予馬卡龍滋味的是餡料，於是決定要有更多種餡。
Since [For] 30 years, I create[d] a lot of flavor[s] -- lemon, rose, caramel, pistachio -- and different texture, different sensation when you eat the macaron. 三十年來，我開發了許多種口味——檸檬、玫瑰、焦糖、開心果——和不同的口感，品嚐馬卡龍時的不同感受。
Macaron[s] was really [an] empty field. 當時馬卡龍是個相當空乏的領域。
So when I started to work on macaron, I felt that it I have a lot of possibility to create macaron because it was just a few tastes. 所以我開始專攻馬卡龍時，覺得我有很大的可能性來創造馬卡龍，因為只有幾種口味。
What's interesting also about your products, they're treated like jewels. 你的產品還有很吸引人的一點是，它們彷彿被當作珠寶來處理。
You also present them like collections every season. 你也在每一季推出像系列商品一樣的產品。
Yes. When we started a company with Charles Znaty, who is my partner, we didn't want to create a pastry shop. 是的。我們和合夥人察爾斯．納提開公司的時候，並不想開一家糕餅舖。
We had ambition to create a luxury brand in the pastry field. 我們有野心要在糕餅界創造一個精品品牌。
So for a luxury brand, you have... you take care also of the product first, because the product is central and after also, we take care on the packaging. 以精品品牌來說，你有……你一樣要先把產品顧好，因為產品是重點，之後我們在包裝上也很用心。
We take care on the boutique, how the boutique looks. And we are very concerned about the service. 我們弄好精品店，精品店的外觀，也在意服務。
For me, it's very important. It's part also of what is a luxury brand. 對我來說那很重要，那也是成為精品品牌的一部分。
What is it, do you think, you would want people to know about Pierre Herme, 你認為，你希望人們對皮耶．艾爾梅有什麼認識？
not the brand, but about the person behind it? 不是關於品牌，而是背後的這個人？
What do you want people to feel and to know about who you are? 你希望人們對你這個人有什麼感覺和瞭解？
That I make good cake. That's the only thing important. 我會做很棒的糕點。這是唯一重要的事。
That's an understatement. 這樣說太客氣了。