Culinary trends keep cooking: molecular gastronomy, farm-to-table,
food trucks, vegan and raw foods. Chefs are the new rock stars with loyal fans
buying everything from cookbooks to cookware. But the role of the pastry chef
is also rising to prominence as seen by these Santa Barbara pastry chefs. But
what exactly is pastry chef; a glorified baker? A flunkie chef? Someone’s mom baking
apple pie? The basic differences are that a baker tends to be an employee, (someone
hammering out products at the discretion of their employer) but a pastry chef
is just that, a chef, who oversees, plates and creates desserts as a leader, and
decision maker.
Cielito’s Secret
Pastry chef Sandra Adu-Zelli, originally from the UK, started
her career as a culinary chef at the Four Seasons in London and admits she
doesn’t have a sweet tooth, therefore her approach to dessert is restrained. She
has been cheffing since she was 16 and knew then she wanted to be a chef. “When
I was training to be a chef I was very anti-pastry, I was a bit of a tom-boy
and felt pastry was for girls,” she tells Cervins Central Coast. She didn’t
have the patience for pastry, but now she loves the discipline and calmness of
it. Cielito is Mexican food, not something she was exposed to in London, though
many Mexican foods have their roots in Spain and Portugal. “My goal was to
create desserts that are Mexican, but modern and fun.” Her crepes with cojetta
cheese are one of the most popular desserts at the restaurant. But her Baked
Alaska is a standout. “I think about food constantly and ways to mix it up and
the Baked Alaska just came to me.” Adu-Zelli creates meringue accented with a
pineapple relish and delicately topped with sugared cilantro leaves.
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| Sandra's Baked Alaska |
The Sugar Cask
The Wine Cask’s
pastry chef, Roise Gerard, also had a similar disdain for pastry early on.
“I have always wanted to be a cook ever since I was little,
however I never wanted to do pastry, I thought it was a girl’s job,” she
admits. She ended up loving pastries and today Gerard is known for adding
savory ingredients to her desserts. “Many people don't understand how a dessert
with basil, cilantro, or bacon can possibly be good,” she says, and she decries
desserts that only activate the sweet taste buds. “Great desserts try out each
taste bud: bitter, sour, salty, and sweet. I like to bring many levels of
flavor into one dessert.” Her top desserts? The butterscotch pudding, the
chocolate peanut butter cup, and the chocolate
and goat cheese donuts. “I tried to take the donuts off once, we go so many
complaints that I put it back on,” she admits. As a pastry chef of a small
restaurant, one of her biggest challenges is that she does most of the work herself.
“I am faced with the challenge to create a delicious and diverse menu that one
person can execute.”
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| Daniel Sampson bakes everything from scratch |
The same cannot be said for Daniel Sampson, pastry chef at
the Bacara, who has a small army to help him. Sampson started his career with
the Halifax Sheraton in Nova Scotia as a pizza cook. But he had fond memories
of baking in the house when he was a kid. “My mother couldn’t read or write but
she created these delicious desserts and was baking all the time.” His mom made
bread in a big enamel bowl. “She’d place it on the sofa overnight,” Sampson
recalls. It got cold at night so she’d place blankets over the bowl to keep the
dough warm. “In the morning I’d be the first up to peek under the blanket to
see the dough,” he recalls. Sampson makes most everything from scratch. “It’s
healthier for people when I use authentic ingredients, like real butter” he
says. Sampson creates a diversity of treats from meringues, to raspberry
chocolate tortes to restaurant Miro’s signature dessert, orange blossom beignets.
Four beignets, dusted with sugar are plated with a pot de crème with toasted
pistachios sprinkled on top. The deep fried beignets are like billowy clouds
that smell heavenly of fried dough.
Angels at Andersen’s
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| Birte and Charlotte Andersen keep Danish traditions alive |
The mother and daughter
team of Birte and Charlotte Andersen at Andersen’s are constantly coming up
with new ideas. The drawback of experimenting with new pastry ideas is that failures
cost a lot of money. “If the cream doesn’t set properly or the butter lacks the
right butter fat content, you end up throwing the whole thing away,” Birte
says. They avoid refined mixes and create Danish-inspired treats from scratch,
using age-old Danish recipies. Being old-school European there is typically
less sugar in their desserts. Organic butter, real cream and marzipan are the
staples of Andersen’s, which has 30 different daily pastries. And they use
three tons of marzipan annually. Favorites range from marzipan layer cakes, to
puff pastries, Kringles, and butter rings. “These are heritage pastries,” says Charlotte.
So the next time you reach for dessert, remind yourself that
someone created these culinary delights. With the resurgence of the local food
movement, baked goods are cashing in on homespun goodness. “People are educating
themselves,” says Daniel Sampson. “There are more a lot more requests for good,
home baked things.” And that’s sweet news for everyone.
Cielito
The Andersen’s
Wine Cask
Miro at the Bacara
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