Tom Coll

Coming Up

Pastry work at this level is built through repetition, calibration and exposure to different house styles. At CFA de Groisy, Tom Coll laid the technical base that would carry through a run of high-pressure kitchens in France: Plaza Athénée in Paris, Restaurant La Palme d’Or at the Hôtel Martinez in Cannes, Hôtel du Cap Eden Roc in Antibes, France, and Shangri-La in Paris, where he served as sous chef. The sequence shows breadth across addresses with distinct standards of service, and it points to a chef who has had to stay precise while moving between different tempo, structure and expectations. Progress through those rooms led to Pré Catelan in Paris, where the Head Pastry Chef role added another layer to a profile already shaped by elite French kitchens. The work across those posts formed a broad base rather than a single long tenure, and that range is part of what defines Coll’s practice now. He came up through multiple named houses, and that kind of movement tends to leave a pastry chef with a wider command of methods, service rhythms and production discipline.

Where They Are Now

Since 2021, the pastry direction of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah in Dubai has sat with Tom Coll as Executive Pastry Chef. The role places him over the sweet program of a hotel that is closely watched by both diners and travelers, which means the work is judged on execution, consistency and identity. In that setting, pastry is not a side note; it carries the same level of expectation as any other part of the house. Ingredient-led thinking is central to Coll’s approach, and chocolate is one of the clearest markers of that priority. His own words make the point plainly: “I grew up with Valrhona and to have pure origin chocolates with a real background and focus on traceability and communities like Tulakalum is for me the ultimate.” The emphasis is on provenance, traceability and the supply chain behind the finished dessert, not only on flavor. For Coll, the material is part of the craft. By nationality, he is French, and the reputation attached to his name comes from that succession of kitchens, schools and roles. The throughline is disciplined pastry work, carried from training into senior positions and now into a high-visibility post in Dubai.

Signature

Tom’s signature dishes include Tulakalum 75%.

In Their Words “I grew up with Valrhona and to have pure origin chocolates with a real background and focus on traceability and communities like Tulakalum is for me the ultimate.” “I learned and developed my pastry art through many schools and internships.”

Honors

The key distinction is the role itself: Executive Pastry Chef at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, held since 2021. No separate award is listed, so the recognition sits in the appointment and the level of responsibility it carries. Given the path through CFA de Groisy, senior French houses and a succession of named kitchens, the title reads as the current marker of a career built on progression and exacting standards.