Cham, 30.10.2020

Culinary delights against corona frustration

Eva Piccon from Cham has brightened the mood of her fellow human beings during the lockdown with her baking and cooking skills. The demand was so great that she has now founded her own company.

She has always been a passionate baker and cook
"My family and I wanted to help people in some way during the spring lockdown," says Eva Piccon. First of all, her children wanted to do shopping for the elderly and people with preconditions. "But because we’ve only been living in Switzerland for about three years, due to my husband’s job, and my children are still attending the International School, they unfortunately cannot speak German well. Communication was thereby a problem," says Piccon. On the other hand, she started baking and cooking, which she has always loved, and advertised her work through small notices in her neighbourhood. And the former company chef and strategy and communications consultant was pleased to note: "The demand was immediately there and grew. In the meantime, I now prepare daily food to order."

That's why she’s decided to start her own company. Under the label "Happynomie", composed of the words Happiness and Gastronomy, she’s  been offering her cooking skills as a full-time chef since May.

She has also been asked to provide company catering
Before the coronavirus infection rates soared again, she had even set up catering for companies. In the meantime, it’s more a case of personalised menus for private events on a small scale. "I prefer to cook French haute cuisine, using seasonal and local products. But I'm also open to cooking international food if required," says Piccon, who has learned how to cook with a lot of practice over the years. She also offers vegan, gluten or lactose-free options: "I want to offer all people delicious food, whether they have allergies or strong beliefs."

Photo 1: Eva Piccon bakes and cooks to order with a lot of passion
Photo 2: Eva Piccon puts the finishing touches to a cake.
Photo 3: "Happynomie" is the name of Eva Piccon's new company.

Finest lemon tartes, millefeuilles or eclairs, decorated in various variations, and everything else that makes the patisserie heart beat faster, adorn the social media appearances of Frenchwoman Eva Piccon from Cham. Every day, she spends hours in her kitchen preparing French pastries and menus, which can sometimes also be American or Mexican. Eva Piccon explains: "I was born in Nice, and have lived in Paris, the United States and Mexico. All three cultures are therefore very important to me»

The demand for her cooking skills is great, and she is already making more than 20 tarts and several menus every week. She started her business during the lockdown to cheer up people from the risk group who were stuck at home.

She works according to classic recipes, as well as recipes from modern chefs, and adapts them individually to the people who place orders. "Just like an agency, I receive an order, listen to the story behind it and then propose a creation that I present in watercolour paint and propose to the customer before preparing it," says the 45-year-old, explaining her approach.

Her dream would be her own restaurant
The encounters with people from Zug and from all over the world are "the icing on the cake" of her activities. "It's wonderful for me to be able to accompany people at important moments like birthdays, communions or just parties," says Eva Piccon.

Orders are increasing every week, and people are recommending her, which is her best advertisement. The food is normally picked up by the customers, but can also be delivered by Eva Piccon if necessary. She is often asked if she would like to open a restaurant: "That would be a dream of mine, of course. However, I would first like to see how Switzerland's health situation develops in the near future."

https://happynomie.com/