It's soft, melt-in-your-mouth, delicately sweet… and yet, it could have remained a simple childhood memory, passed down in an Eastern European family kitchen. But that was without counting on an unexpected encounter with Brigitte Bardot, who passed away on December 28, 2025 , in the heart of Saint-Tropez. A look back at the delicious story of a dessert that became a cult classic.
A film shoot, an actress, and a discovery
It's the mid-1950s. The sun warms the streets of Saint-Tropez, and the small seaside resort is experiencing its first thrills of celebrity. Brigitte Bardot, still relatively unknown at the time, is filming " And God Created Woman ," the film that will change her life and that of the village forever.
Between takes, the young actress wanders around, curious, and pushes open the door of a bakery-pastry shop run by a certain Alexandre Micka, a Pole recently settled in the South. He offers a brioche generously filled with a light, vanilla cream , inspired by his grandmother's recipe.
Love at first sight with a sweet tooth
Brigitte Bardot tastes it. She loves it. She talks about it. And this sweet treat will have a name: the Tarte de Saint-Tropez. Or more precisely: the Tarte Tropézienne . A nod to the town that welcomed her… and to the film shoot that would propel her to icon status.
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Thanks to her, the dessert emerged from obscurity, captivating the film crew, curious onlookers, and then tourists. Alexandre Micka registered the trademark in 1955. Its success was meteoric. The Tarte Tropézienne became a staple of the South of France, the French Riviera, and then of French gastronomy.
A dessert that has become a symbol
Even today, this cream-filled brioche instantly evokes the glamour of the 1960s, summers in Saint-Tropez, and the carefree elegance of a bygone era. It has never left the display cases of Southern French pastry shops and continues to inspire numerous variations.
But what is often forgotten is that without Brigitte Bardot's flair and taste, this family recipe might have remained a secret. One bite was all it took to make it a legend.
