Anders Krusberg
Florian Bellanger is the chef and co-owner of Mad Mac Macarons, "the Authentic French Macarons and Madeleines" an acclaimed French cookie and pastry company, which he co-founded in 2006. Mad Mac serves retail, food service, and hospitality industries and has been recognized as a leader in quality and innovation in the French Macaron industry. He was featured as a permanent judge on the Food Network's TV series Cupcake Wars, with over 9 seasons and 115 episodes.
Prior to founding Mad Mac, Chef Bellanger was Fauchon’s Executive Pastry Chef in the United States. He led a team of twenty-four pastry chefs to create the finest pastries, special occasion cakes, cookies, unique ice creams and sorbets for the legendary French epicurean emporium's tea salon and flagship store in New York City. He had come full circle after serving Fauchon in Paris under the command of notable Executive Pastry Chef Pierre Herme from 1991 to 1994, as well as Executive Pastry Chef for Fauchon Flagship in Qatar from 1994 to 1996.
At Fauchon NYC, Florian's innovations were evident in such tradition-shattering creations as raspberry-chili pepper sorbet, Toulouse violet ice cream, exotic éclairs, and lavish three-dimensional holiday and wedding cakes for which he continuously created new molds and recipes.
A veteran of pastry kitchens from around the world, Florian was Eric Ripert’s pastry chef at the world renowned, Le Bernardin from 1996 to 2001, where his desserts, described as “light and dreamy” by Ruth Reichl of The New York Times, helped bring the restaurant to its four-star status. In addition, he was the Pastry Chef in the French Military Officer’s Club in French Guyana.
Florian is a member of City Harvest’s Food Council and a guest chef faculty member at the International Culinary Center. He also donates his time to charities such as the Wolfgang Puck Charity and the Jean-Louis Palladin Foundation.
