At the Vinings mainstay Canoe, executive pastry chef Jessica McKinney incorporates seasonal flavors into her desserts. One recent standout was the sweet potato entremet, which layered a sweet potato cake base with hazelnut ganache and Nutella crémeux, all enrobed in a chocolate glaze. A cloud-like puff of toasted meringue and sweet potato pie ice cream adorned the plate. The artful, textural dessert is a testament to pastry chefs who have a knack for elevating the last course of the meal.
As restaurants grapple with tightening budgets, however, pastry chefs in Atlanta have become rarer. They’re among the first to be cut when times get tough, or they’re not hired at all when a restaurant opens. Despite the industry challenges, however, a cadre of pastry chefs in Atlanta continues to shine.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Historically, pastry chefs were part of a restaurant’s brigade de cuisine — a system of about 25 chefs that kept a kitchen running — along with the executive chef, sous chef and pantry chef. As restaurant kitchens have shrunk (both physically and in terms of budget) so have the brigades, with restaurants often getting by with an executive chef and a team of line cooks. In kitchens forgoing a pastry chef, also known as a patissier, the executive chef or a prep cook work on the desserts. In this case, it’s not unusual to see simplified desserts on the menu, like a panna cotta or bread pudding, which can be prepared ahead of time in bulk.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
At Michelin-recommended Tiny Lou’s, executive pastry chef Charmain Ware-Jason stands out with her flair for decadence. Her best-selling dessert is the towering crepe cake which changes seasonally — it’s currently composed of spiced chocolate crepes, vanilla, marshmallow and peppermint — and takes hours to prepare. Her team also makes the Matilda, a rich, layered chocolate cake that pays homage to the ‘90s movie of the same name. Focusing on nostalgic desserts is one of the keys to Ware-Jason’s success, she said. “I want to take it back to the rustic-ness, the slice of pie, the slice of cake,” Ware-Jason said. “The thing that’s going to bring some nostalgia to your dinner and really make you dance in your seat.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Some of Atlanta’s top pastry talent works in hotel kitchens. At Signia by Hilton Atlanta downtown, executive pastry chef Daniella Lea Rada oversees a team of 15 pastry chefs who handle everything from banquets to supplying the on-site restaurants, which include Capolinea and Friendship Market, with bread and desserts. Rada appreciates Signia’s investment in the pastry department, including a dedicated kitchen and top-of-the-line equipment. “You cannot just give pastry a few hours, or just have one of the cooks work on it,” Rada said. “Pastry has to be plated and envisioned by a pastry chef to make that difference.” One of her signature desserts at Capolinea is La Farfalla (the butterfly), a delicate combination of lavender crémeux, limoncello marmalade and butterfly pea gelato.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
That’s not to say that all restaurants without pastry chefs treat dessert as an afterthought. Chef-owner Karl Gorline considered hiring a pastry chef for his new Alpine-inspired concept Avize in west Midtown, but ultimately didn’t because of financial and space constraints. He still wanted to offer elevated desserts, however, so he collaborated with his prep cook, Rosi Torralba. Their riff on the classic Mont Blanc places brown butter and banana frangipane in a tart shell topped with coconut curd and whipped cream in a meringue dome; chestnut cream and coconut flakes top it off. It’s a little Alpine and a little Southern, “so the dessert really tells the story of this restaurant,” Gorline said.
One pastry chef bridging the traditional role with modern needs is Claudia Martinez, a two-time James Beard Award nominee. She recently served as executive pastry chef at Miller Union where she was known for her artfully plated desserts that blended both tropical and local ingredients, like a springtime Meyer lemon shortbread bar with whipped passion fruit and satsumas. She recently left Miller Union but continues to consult for chefs looking to elevate their dessert offerings. “I go in a few hours a week, show the staff, do a tasting and go from there,” Martinez said. “It’s more of a collaborative thing. I never completely take over. I still want the chef to feel like they have control over their menu.”
For those who can’t afford a full-time pastry chef, but want to sell desserts that feel more special, this is a viable solution. Martinez collaborated with chef Arnaldo Castillo on his dessert menu at Peruvian restaurant Tio Lucho’s, which now includes the popular squash and sweet potato picarones (doughnut holes) served with lemon ice cream and warm spiced syrup.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
While the pastry profession continues to adapt and evolve, the aim of these chefs remains the same: to evoke joy with a memorable, delectable dessert. Ware-Jason recalls ordering every dessert on the menu at Atlas when chef Christian Castillo helmed that restaurant’s pastry program. “As I ate his desserts, tears were literally coming out of my eyes at the table because you could taste the intention,” she said. “That’s what I’m looking for when I make a dessert, and when I taste a dessert: the actual love and intention.”
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