Monsieur Macaron is a French patisserie based in Onekawa, Napier, founded by Parisian pastry chef Benjamin Pallais. True to its tagline — 'the perfected French blend of Art & Baking' — the kitchen turns out authentic macarons made with French savoir faire: crispy on the outside, soft and chewy inside, and inspired by what Benjamin cheerfully calls the sin of gourmandise. Alongside the macarons comes a classic French lineup of croissants and pains au chocolat, plus cakes made to order — all with a disarmingly simple promise of good quality baking for a reasonable price.
The business has been part of the Hawke's Bay Farmers Market since 2013, showcasing its pastries and authentic macarons every Sunday in Hastings — which Benjamin describes as the best part of the job: the pleasure of selling his pastries and meeting customers face to face. Can't make it in person? Freshly baked pastries are delivered to doors across Hawke's Bay every Saturday morning between 6 and 8.30am, and macarons can now be shipped across the North Island.
Monsieur Macaron also caters for company morning teas, birthdays and weddings, and welcomes pickups at its Onekawa kitchen on Thorn Place. Whether it's a box of macarons, a Saturday croissant drop or a wedding spread, the aim stays the same: perpetuating taste, elegance, flair and tradition.
Monsieur Macaron is what happens when a Parisian pastry chef falls in love with New Zealand. Benjamin Pallais first visited in 2007, aged 21, drawn — like many before him — by the rugby and the myth of the All Blacks, and he has been motivated to become a Kiwi ever since. The result of that long courtship is a French bakery in Onekawa, Napier, built around the biscuit Benjamin believes is the most glamorous in the world, and stamped with a tagline that promises taste, elegance, flair and tradition, perpetuated: the perfected French blend of Art & Baking. From that Onekawa base, the pastries now reach customers right across Hawke's Bay and beyond — by Saturday delivery, by North Island macaron shipping, and via the Sunday market stall.
Benjamin describes himself as a foodie and an ex rugby player. He chose pastry as 'probably the best job to express myself creatively' — a craft that would let him travel the world and hand a little happiness to his customers. As a Parisian, the macaron was to him the most trendy of patisseries, and one already well known to Kiwi people. Creating Monsieur Macaron Ltd gave him the chance to fully express himself, manage his own relationships with customers and partners, and — in his words — have the honour of helping New Zealand's food culture.
If you want to meet the man behind the macarons, head along on a Sunday. The best part of the job, he says, is the pleasure of selling his pastries and meeting customers at the Farmers Market in Hastings.
The heart of the range is the macaron: deliciously made with French savoir faire, crispy on the outside, soft and chewy inside, and inspired by what Benjamin calls the sin of gourmandise. Around it sits a classic French lineup — the golden croissant, the pain au chocolat, and cakes made to order for celebrations. Photographs of croissants beside pots of jam hint at how they're meant to be enjoyed. The guiding promise is disarmingly simple: good quality baking for a reasonable price. Macarons are noted as gluten free, which makes a mixed box an easy way to treat a crowd with different needs.
Monsieur Macaron has arranged things so the pastries come to you however suits. You can pick them up at the kitchen at 13 Thorn Place in Onekawa. On Saturday mornings, freshly baked French pastries are delivered to doors right across Hawke's Bay between 6 and 8.30am — book online and join the Family club, because as the site insists: freshly baked, freshly delivered. On Sundays, the stall appears at the Hawke's Bay Farmers Market in Hastings, which the business has been part of since 2013, showcasing its quality French pastries and authentic macarons week after week. And if you live further afield, macarons can now be shipped across the North Island — the macaron page has the shipping details. Orders and enquiries can also be made by phone on +64 210 822 0001.
The bakery also caters for life's bigger moments: company morning teas, birthday catering and weddings. Enquiries run through the contact and orders form — 'we're here to help', the page promises — where you can flag whether it's a general question, a macaron order, an event, or home delivery. Prefer to talk to a human? The phone number and email are on the site, and the team shares its latest pastries on Facebook and Instagram.
With 67 Google reviews pointed to on the site, the little Onekawa kitchen has clearly found its audience. Whether it's a Saturday croissant drop, a box of macarons for a birthday, or a wedding spread with French flair, Monsieur Macaron keeps doing the one thing it set out to do: blending French art and baking, one glossy shell at a time.