United States Pastry Epicenter

[chiram]

I've been getting very interested in pastry lately, even considering making a transition from savory cooking onto pastry for my future job. I've been a very big fan of all the modern pastry chefs like Albert Adria, Jordi Roca, Oriol Balaguer, and in the US guys like Sam Mason and Alex Stupak. I am mostly familiar with the NYC guys, worth mentioning also are Will from R4D and Jordan Kahn ex-Varietal.

So anyways you know what type of pastry I am talking about. I am sure there is a whole group of really talented pastry chefs all over the US though, that you hardly hear about doing some very innovative things. So I want to know is who else, not included in my lists, is worth mentioning as a future leader in the US modern pastry scene?????

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A Lower-Manhattan resident, the people's choice is obvious: Chika Tillman of ChikaLicious Dessert Bar. My Gaaawd, the four year nightly queue attests to this. She and Don do six brilliantly conceived, three course desserts which change daily. In a league of their own. Saveur named it one of the best hundred things about the planet. Watching Chika work at the counter is prodigiously awe-inspiring. No one else in Manhattan nor America offers this 5 star form of edutainment.

Edited September 15, 2007 by chiram (log)

[gfron1]

Most up-to-date. Please note that I've tried to include their education or intern location when available. Please continue ammending or correcting my errors.

Florian Bellanger, Fauchon, NY

Chris Broberg, Cafe Gray, NY

Bill Corbett, Michael Mina, San Francisco *as of 8/07

Karen DeMasco, Craft and Craftbar, NY (New York Restaurant School)

Dimitri & Keli Fayard, Vanille Patisserie, Chicago (Lycee Pardailhan & Culinary Institute of America)

Gale Gand, Tru, Chicago (La Varenne)

Will Goldfarb, Michel Cluizel

Johnny Iuzzini, Jean Georges, NY (Culinary Institute of America)

Jordan Kahn (Johnson and Wales, Charleston)

Nicole Kaplan, Del Posto, NY

Steve Klc, ThinkFood Group, Washington DC

Michael Laiskonis, Le Bernardin, NY

Michael London, Mrs. London's, NY

Sam Mason, Tailor, NY (Johnston & Wales (RI))

Pichet Ong, P*ONG, NY

Francois Payard, Payard Patisserie and Bistron, NY

Elisabeth Prueitt, Tartine Bakery, SF (Culinary Institute of America)

Joel Robuchon, Joel Robuchon's Restaurants

Sébastien Rouxel, Per Se, NY (Le Peché Mignon)

Guy Savoy, Guy Savoy's Restaurants (Troisgos)

Alex Stupak, WD~50, Chicago (Culinary Institute of America)

Chika Tillman, ChikaLicious Dessert Bar, NY

Jacques Torres, Jacques Torres Chocolate, NY (La Frangipane)

Adrian Vasquez, Providence, Los Angeles

Sherry Yard, Spago, LA (New York City Technical College and the Culinary Institute of America )

Bill Yosses, The White House, Washington DC (New York City College of Technology)

Others who might not be appropriate on this list:

Thomas Keller French Laundry, CA

[alanamoana]

i don't live in manhattan anymore...did they close all of the fauchon locations there? i know for a while, they left the park avenue location open...but for some reason, i think that closed as well...anybody know?

at any rate, if they closed, where is florian?

[bibbotson]

i don't live in manhattan anymore...did they close all of the fauchon locations there?  i know for a while, they left the park avenue location open...but for some reason, i think that closed as well...anybody know?

at any rate, if they closed, where is florian?

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He's been at MadMac for at least a year. Fauchon closed down all their production facilities in New York long before the Park Avenue location closed (shipping in the stock from France for the Park Avenue location once it was the only remaining store here). It's a shame, the production facilities were really nice, I got to spend a morning there.