Photo by Sarah Landry

Event planner Corinne Gregory saw the same ideas circulating over and over when it came to party desserts: donut walls, cake displays, ice cream bars. Her self-described sweet tooth was getting bored. In search of something joyful, elevated and visually appealing, she drew inspiration from Southern Californian and Japanese innovations in cotton candy.

Soon Corinne was spinning sugar from a petite cotton candy machine—what she deems a “delicious centrifuge”—testing and developing flavors ranging from Meyer lemon and lavender to champagne sparkle and salted caramel. “It’s fun, whimsical and unexpected,” she says.

Le Petit Pouf launched in April 2018, taking the cotton candy cart on the road to weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, bridal showers and private parties, where Corinne spins poufs of sugar topped with confections such as confetti sprinkles, mini marshmallows and toasted coconut flakes. Corinne’s single-flavor poufs are made from all-organic ingredients—such as sugar and fruit—and vegetable-based dyes in an effort to make her product as healthy as possible.

While her cotton candy may be a throwback to the tubs of pink and blue found at carnivals and fairs, she brings a modern and sophisticated take, including her carts’ black-and-white awnings—a nod to French culture thanks to yearly trips to France to visit her husband’s family.

But the real fun comes from connecting with people through their memories of cotton candy. “Seeing the joy on people’s faces really elevates the mood of events. You can’t be sad when you’re getting a big pouf of sugar.”

lepetitpouf.com

This story appeared in the Summer 2019 issue.