In this series, TCU Magazine visits with alumni in the food and beverage industry. Send recommendations to tcumagazine@tcu.edu 

Molly Wilkinson ’09 once considered baking to be a fun hobby — until she completed her pastry studies at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and made it her career. Today, she owns and operates Molly J. Wilk Pastry, where she offers baking classes in person, live online and through video tutorials from her home base in Versailles, France. Wilkinson also spends time creating social media content and developing new recipes, such as tigre cake, an almond cake filled with chocolate ganache. Bakers will find more of Wilkinson’s takes on local specialties in her cookbook, French Pastry Made Simple. On days off, Wilkinson and her husband, François, enjoy traveling or entertaining friends and family. 

Since her studies at Le Cordon Bleu, Wilkinson has continued creating French pastries with masterful baking and presentation skills. Photo by Krystal Kenney

What prompted you to leave your marketing career in the U.S. to study pastry in Paris?

I was at a crossroads because I could see with my career that if I just continued to put more effort in it, then I would climb the ladder. But if I wanted to try something else, this is a good time because I’m still really young. I was like, “Let’s go, let’s do it.”

Receiving my acceptance was very surreal because I got a huge envelope in the mail, white with the Cordon Bleu logo on it, and then handwritten ‘Mademoiselle Molly Wilkinson.’

For the exams, you were memorizing 10 recipes — so I’d have to know 100 grams of butter, 255 grams of flour, and then how it would all go together. You’d have a little multiple-choice test, but then you’d actually have to cook it, and the chefs would judge your performance on how well you knew the recipe, how it tasted and how it looked.  

You built your career working in bakeries, at a cooking school and even at a chateau. What inspired you to create your own business teaching people how to bake?

For me, it was like the best of both worlds. It means that I can be really creative in terms of developing recipes, but also I’m working with people a lot.

A lot of my jobs — when I was working in bakeries and gaining my skills — it’s behind the counter in the kitchen. You don’t see anyone, it’s long hours, it’s very repetitive. I worked in a bakery where I made macarons for six months. And you get very good at macarons, very good at piping, but it’s very lonely, and it’s a hard job.

And so for me, it was like, “How can I bring together people and what I know and also that passion that I have for developing new things?” A lot of my recipes — they’re like French classics but bringing a twist of American flavor or style.

You began teaching online during the pandemic. How did that experience impact your business?

I’d set up the interface that I needed to do online, and I was taking advantage of it — I was like, “OK, this is the time people are at home, we’ve got to do this.” And for me, it’s also a way to reach people that won’t be coming to France. A huge part of my business is a baking membership — it’s called Le Baking Club. We have a really wonderful group. It’s all about community, trying new recipes, challenging yourself in the kitchen and just having fun. 

Are there aspects of your marketing background that still help you?

I use everything that I learned when I was working in that digital marketing job and bring that into my business now, which has become very successful because of it.

For me, it’s thinking about the customer journey, which is something that you learn in advertising — the least amount of clicks that someone has to take in order to purchase something, the better.

Wilkinson regularly hosts in-person baking classes at her bakery as well as offering live online instruction and video tutorials. Photo by Krystal Kenney

What do you miss most from the U.S. or Texas?

Friends and family. Besides that, Mexican food and customer service. My first stop whenever I come home is going to Chuy’s with my parents because they love it. I bring about 10 packs of H-E-B tortillas when I come back, salsa, barbecue sauce and certain things like Libby’s pumpkin — you can’t find it here. 

What are your favorite parts about living in France?

For me, it’s the culture. I have a very American work mentality, and I think that’s where I’ve seen a lot of success in my business. But I really do appreciate the French culture in terms of the language, but also the way of being. They’re working to live instead of living to work.

Editor’s Note: The questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.