Behind the Line
Topic: On the Job
A Day in the Life
Could you handle working in pastries for a brief time if you needed to?
- Nate Hamilton
- Chef de Cuisine
- Harvest
- Madison, WI
Why is this even a question? I'm going to say that every chef should answer this with a "yes, absolutely"! You may as well ask "Could you handle working the grill for a brief time if you needed to...
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- Jennifer Plank
- Toast
- Cleveland, Ohio
Sadly, I am terrible at all things baking related. I could do it if I needed to but I try and leave that to the professionals.
- Patrick Sheerin
- Chef/Partner
- Trenchermen
- Chicago, IL
I'm fortunate enough to have spent time in the pastry kitchen in my career both at the short lived Toque restaurant and at Naha, there is a lot of technique and discipline that translate well to th...
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- Kevin Nashan
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Sidney Street Cafe
- Saint Louis, Missouri
Yes but it's not pretty.
- Josh Galliano
- The Libertine
- Clayton, MO
I make it a point to create all the pastries for the restaurant. I know I'm not the best at it, but I know that I can learn whatever it takes for the job.
- Matt Haase
- Executive Chef
- Rocketbaby Bakery
- Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Now I can. I've worked with our pastry chef, Kurt Fogle for a year on my skills. I can make all the desserts from scratch on our menu and most of the other menus in our company. Kurt is a fantastic...
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- Jonadab Silva
- Chef/Partner
- Hota
- Evanston, IL
I have great respect for pastry chefs, it all depends what a brief time is.
- Mark Steuer
- Chef/Partner
- Carriage House and The Bedford
- Chicago, IL
for a brief time... i find pastry to be a little too measured and calculated for me
- Susan Goss
- Executive Chef/Owner
- West Town Tavern
- Chicago, IL
I could but I doubt our guests would appreciate my output. I must be one of a ver few people who really doesn't like the taste of desserts. I never crave sweets, and only look at dessert menus to k...
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- Rick Gresh
- Executive Chef
- David Burkes Primehouse
- Chicago, Illinois
Yes, i actually love baking breads. I love pastries and the attention to detail it takes to produce.
- Jared Van Camp
- Executive Chef
- Old Town Social and Nellcôte
- Chicago, IL
Absolutely. Charcuterie is much more like pastries than our savory dishes because it involves being very measured and exact.
- Troy Graves
- Chef/Partner
- Red Door
- Chicago, Il
I don't think I could do pastries for two reasons. I am not patient enough and I hate recipes.
- Jill Barron
- Executive Chef/Owner
- MANA food bar
- Chicago, IL
i have in the past been a pastry chef briefly. i also do my own pastries at Mana. The key is to make them simple.
- Chrissy Camba
- Chef
- Bar Pastoral
- Chicago, IL
absolutely. i can (and have) worked pastries for a brief time - i just don't prefer it.
- Carrie Nahabedian
- Executive Chef/Owner
- NAHA and Brindille
- Chicago, IL
Absolutely...but pastry requires your full devoted time. I was a pastry chef in my youth!
- Geoff Rhyne
- Sous Chef
- The Ordinary
- Charleston, SC
been there, done that, and it was exremely beneficial. Chefs need to be well rounded at the very minimum.
- Tony Priolo
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Piccolo Sogno
- Chicago, IL
You bet, one of my favorite things to create is makeing pastries especially gelato!
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
I actually handle a large amount of our pastry workload, including designing and launching all pastry dishes. I love it. As much as I could use the help of a pastry chef, it's work I really enjoy.
- Jason McLeod
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Box Tree Restaurant, Inc
- San Diego, CA
Yes, I have a huge sweet tooth, so it could only be for a brief time, I would eat non stop
- Cary Taylor
- Executive Chef
- The Southern
- Chicago, IL
sure