Pastry Arts Podcast

Known as "Sourdough Duffy", Chef Matthew James Duffy is a sourdough expert and teacher with an impressive resume. He spent over a decade working as a professionally trained chef in the some of the world's finest kitchens, including a time at Relais & Chateaux property Langdon Hall in Ontario, Restaurant Noma in Copenhagan, as well as five years working with Chef Daniel Boulud at Café Boulud NYC and as Sous-Chef opening Café Boulud Toronto. But even as he toiled in these restaurant kitchens, Duffy was always thinking about sourdough, and how to improve the bread offerings at each restaurant. He eventually left the restaurant kitchen to pursue this passion for baking by working with well-known bakers around the world, reading a library full of bread books, and embarking on a never-ending journey of learning the craft of sourdough baking. On this quest he worked with King Arthur Flour's bread master, Jeffrey Hamelman, and attended classes at the San Francisco Baking Institute and the French Pastry School in Chicago. He has represented Canada twice at the world Slow Food Conference in Turin, Italy, and is currently Professor and Program Coordinator at Centennial College's Pastry Arts Management Program in Toronto. Visit his website at www.matthewjamesduffy.com.

Highlights of this episode include:

• What made Matt embark on a culinary career
• What drew Matt to sourdough baking
• His strategy for learning as much as he could about sourdough bread baking
• Matt's tips on using fresh milled flour
• What Matt has learned about making panettone
• Matt's tips on making a high-hydration sourdough
• Tips for incorporating discard into recipes
• Matt's goals for his upcoming bread book
• And much more!

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Richard Hawke discovered his love for pastry during an apprenticeship with a French pastry chef in his home city. Inspired by this experience, he traveled to Lyon, where he landed a job with Jérôme Langillier (Champion du Monde de Pâtisserie, 2009). Hawke continued to hone his pastry skills at various pâtisseries in the region, then took a position teaching at l'Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Pâtisserie, the school founded by Yves Thuries and Alain Ducasse, where he deepened his knowledge in all aspects of his profession.

Today, Richard teaches master classes at the finest pastry schools around the globe and works as a consultant for international clients. He specializes in allergen-free baking, and has just released his first book, ADAPT: A Unique Pastry Concept (ICEP Publishing, 2021), which features a collection of Hawke's recipes, each presented in three different versions: gluten-free, vegan and lactose-free. Ingredients include both gram amounts and percentages to enable readers to understand and adapt the recipes easier. The book is written in English and French, and includes beautiful photographs of his elegant desserts. For more info, visit www.richardhawkepastry.com.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Richard went from delivering pastry to making it
• Landing a job in Lyon with a World Pastry Champion
• Teaching at L'Ecole Nationale Superieure de la Patisserie
• How he came to specialize in vegan and allergen-free pastry
• The concept of his new book, Adapt: A Unique Pastry Concept
• Basic rules for converting recipes to gluten-free
• Can vegan dessert recipes be as good as classic ones?
• And much more!

Plus, find out more about the Pastry Arts Virtual Summit at www.pastrysummit.com.

Zoë François studied art at the University of Vermont while also founding a cookie company as a way to earn extra money. She then traveled throughout Europe, tasting pastries along the way, and later studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Since then she has been a pastry chef at several Twin Cities restaurants and has worked repeatedly with Andrew Zimmern. Together with Jeff Hertzberg she wrote the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, which turned into a bestselling series. She created the Zoë Bakes website in order to share her passion for pastry. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Graham, and two sons, her best creations yet!

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What Zoë learned about food growing up on a commune in Vermont
• About her experience opening her first business, selling cookies
• About her big break – being hired as a pastry assistant by Andrew Zimmern
• How she met and began a cookbook collaboration with Dr. Jeff Hertzberg
• All about her latest solo book, Zoë Bakes Cakes
• Some of Zoë's tips for making beautiful desserts
• How she landed her own show on the Magnolia Network
• And much, much more!

From January 2007 to July 2014, Bill Yosses held the prestigious title of the White House Executive Pastry Chef. As Pastry Chef of the White House, he was closely involved with Mrs. Obama's Let's Move initiative with the goal of reducing childhood health problems related to diet. While there, he conducted bi-weekly tours of the White House vegetable garden for school groups.

In a related project, he has given lectures for the "Science and Cooking Course" in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University.

The New York City Department of Education has hired his non-profit "Kitchen Garden Laboratory" to give seminars at their STEM INSTITUTE, on the art of cooking to teach science in the classroom for middle-schoolers.

His most recent book is entitled, The Sweet Spot: Tamping Down Sugar and Amping up Flavor (Pam Krauss Books, 2017).

Yosses earned his A.A.S. degree at New York City College of Technology, a Master of Arts at Rutgers University in French Language and a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toledo.

In this episode we discuss:

• Bill's first cooking job at a restaurant in Paris
• Working with top chefs such as Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and David Bouley
• How he landed the job as Executive Pastry Chef of The White House
• How he planned the menus for State dinners
• His involvement with Michele Obama's 'Let's Move' initiative
• Opening The Perfect Pie and Palais by The Perfect Pie in NYC
• His current role as Chief Nourishment Officer of the Eugene Gasana Foundation ONE WORLD KITCHEN
• And much, much more!

Fran Costigan, chef, cookbook author, and Director of Vegan Baking and Pastry at the Rouxbe Online Culinary School, is internationally renowned as the authority on vegan desserts. Professionally trained, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 25 years ago. Her unapologetically luscious confections lack nothing — except dairy, eggs, white sugar, and cholesterol. Fran's vegan desserts are appropriate for everyone who loves dessert, whether or not dietary restrictions are an issue. The 90-day Essential Vegan Desserts Course that Fran developed and leads at Rouxbe, the world's leading online cooking school, is based on her wildly popular Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive®. She is thrilled to welcome students of all skill levels, beginners to professionals, from around the globe to this unique in the world course.

Fran's cookbook, Vegan Chocolate Dessert: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts, is available in German, French, and Italian editions and follows the classic More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts. For more information and recipes, newsletter sign up, visit www.francostigan.com.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Fran's career journey to becoming an expert in vegan baking and desserts
• Her scientific approach to developing vegan recipes
• Fran's recommendations for egg substitutes
• How to determine which butter substitute to use for different recipes
• How Fran uses aquafaba
• Fran's opinion of soy-based products
• What she thinks the next big trends in vegan desserts will be
• And much more!

Gianni Vietina is the co-owner and Executive Chef at Bianca, an Italian, Argentinian and French restaurant with bakery in Culver City. Most of Gianni's earliest memories are of times he spent immersed in hospitality. Gianni's parents are restaurateurs, so instead of going home after school, he headed to the restaurants in Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany, to cook and help out. In the 1980's Gianni's family moved to Los Angeles, where his father opened celebrity acclaimed Madeo Ristorante in Beverly Hills. Gianni's work at Madeo and his other restaurant ventures around the world (including Saudi Arabia, Italy and the US) is complemented by his passion for wine. He earned his status as a Certified Sommelier (Gold Pin) and taught at the Italian Sommelier Association and the North American Sommelier Association. In 2019 Gianni and his brother, Nicola, partnered with Federico Fernandez to open Bianca, named after their beloved grandmother. As the Executive Chef, Gianni's menu is an intersection of international flavors inspired by his childhood, his family and the multicultural influences of Los Angeles.

Federico Fernandez is the co-owner and Executive Pastry Chef at Bianca. As a child, Federico kindled his passion for baking with his mother in Argentina. He went on to study culinary arts at the International Buenos Aires Hotel & Restaurant School. Thereafter, Federico embarked on his career in the US, including New York's famed BiCE. Federico worked at hotels including the Intercontinental, Hyatt, Marriott, and then the Four Seasons, where he spent 20-plus years lending his expertise in Uruguay, Argentina, Canada and across the United States. Federico departed his post as the Executive Pastry Chef of the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles to open his own venture, Bianca, with his business partner, Gianni Vietina. At Bianca, Federico embraces the freedom of creativity by recreating classic recipes from his childhood and adding seasonal twists, while taking inspiration from his surroundings and his family. Federico has been a guest on several TV shows such as Taste Show, The Today Show and Iron Chef.

In this episode we discuss:

• The background of Executive Chef Gianni Vietina – born to be a restaurateur
• The background of Executive Pastry Chef Federico Fernandez – a career working in luxury hotels
• Opening Bianca restaurant – success!
• The arrival of COVID-19 and its challenges
• Focusing on a diversified business plan and pivoting to delivery
• The importance of cultivating a loyal customer base and catering to their needs
• And much more!

Known as the 'Diva of Desserts', Rose Levy Beranbaum is the author of eleven cookbooks, including her best-selling book The Cake Bible (1988), which was inducted into the International Association of Culinary Professionals Culinary Classics. Her next book, The Cookie Bible, will be published in November of 2021. A luminary in the world of food writing, Rose was a Contributing Editor for over a decade to Food Arts Magazine where "Rose's Sugar Bible" (April 2000) received two prestigious awards: The Association of Food Journalists Award for the Best Food Feature in a Magazine and The Jacob's Creek World Food Award for Best Food Article. She is also a contributor to Food52, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Fine Cooking, Bride's, Reader's Digest, and Hemispheres. Rose has been inducted into the James Beard Foundation/D'Artagnon Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Rose got hooked on baking

• How she got her first cookbook published

• Why she made the monumental decision to include weight amounts in her books

• When to use unbleached vs. bleached flour

• How she developed her meticulous recipe writing style

• Rose's process of writing a cookbook, from idea to finished book

• Her position on freshly milled flours, farm-fresh eggs and European-style butter

• Rose's baking pet peeves

• And much, much more!

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This episode is sponsored by

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Tish Boyle is an editor, food writer and cookbook author with expertise in baking, desserts and chocolate. A graduate of Smith College and La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine, Tish has held a variety of positions in the food world, including chef on a luxury barge traveling the canals of France, pastry chef, caterer, food stylist and recipe developer.

Tish has written several dessert and baking books including Chocolate Passion (Wiley, 2000), Diner Desserts (Chronicle Books, 2000), The Good Cookie (HMH, 2002), The Cake Book (HMH, 2006) and Flavorful (HMH, 2015). Co-writing credits include Payard Desserts (HMH, 2013) and the Grand Finales series of books. Currently she is the Managing Editor of Pastry Arts Magazine (pastryartsmag.com), host of the Pastry Arts Podcast, and co-founder of pastryathome.com.

In this episode, hosted by Shawn Wenner, President and Editor-in-Chief of Pastry Arts magazine, we discuss:

• How Tish got into the pastry business
• How she got her first cookbook published
• Cookbook writing – is it right for you?
• What goes into a cookbook proposal
• Two routes: traditional vs. self publishing
• Funding your book via crowd sourcing site
• Reflecting on career choices in the pastry business
• And much more!

Originally from Kent, England, Ed Tatton has worked in fine dining kitchens around the world and has been making sourdough since 2008. Ed and his wife Natasha moved to Canada in 2013 to snowboard for a season, and both worked in hospitality, Ed working at farm-to-table restaurant Alta Bistro in Whistler, BC. While taking some shoulder-season leave and working on Vancouver Island farms in the summer of 2014, Ed started a sourdough culture that he took with him back to Alta Bistro and implemented a bread program for the restaurant.

In 2016, Ed rented the bistro's kitchen once a week to make bread for his friends, who subsequently told their friends, and before long demand had increased to a point where Ed had outgrown the equipment. That's when Ed and Natasha decided to open BReD, a 100% plant-based organic sourdough bread shop in Creekside, Whistler. As committed vegans, it was important for Ed and Natasha to bring that into their business. BReD sells loaves for pick-up in-store and a selection of vegan baked goods.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why Ed and Natasha decided to go vegan
• Their decision to open their own vegan bakery in Whistler
• Ed's process of recipe development and his tips for creating top-level vegan baked goods
• Ed and Natasha's commitment to sustainability and how that is reflected at BReD
• Ed secret for making vegan brownies with a crackly top
• Ed's tip on lamination and his quest to create the best vegan croissant
• And much more!

Elisa Strauss founded Confetti Cakes in 2000. She is a graduate of Vassar College and The Institute of Culinary Education, where she received a degree in pastry and baking arts. Elisa also spent one semester studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. Prior to culinary school, she worked as a designer for Ralph Lauren. In fact, it was a cake she made for Ralph (in the shape of a Bugatti, his favorite sports car) and the heaps of praise it received from fashion industry notables that inspired her to bring her design talents to the kitchen full-time. Her creations have appeared on the Today show (one of her cakes was selected as the winner of the "Today Throws a Wedding" series), Sex and the City (she made Charlotte and Harry's wedding cake during Season Six), The View and Martha. Elisa has also been featured on The View, and has appeared over ten times on the Food Network, including the "Extreme Cake Challenge" where she won the grand prize. Confetti Cakes has also been featured in InStyle, Martha Stewart Weddings, Marie Claire, Seventeen, Elle, Vogue, Modern Bride, New York, BRIDES, Elegant Bride, and The Knot. And in 2008 was selected as one of America's Top Ten Pastry Chef's in Pastry Art and Design.

Elisa's first book, The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Spectacular Cookies, Cakes and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery, was released in Spring 2007 and is in its sixth printing, while her second book entitled Confetti Cakes for Kids was released in the Fall of 2008.

In 2010, Elisa stopped making cakes for clients to focus her business on online tutorials, teaching, product design and special consulting projects. She's busier than ever working with manufacturers, culinary schools, and television producers. In addition to her work in the kitchen she is an active board member and supporter of Icing Smiles, an organization that provides critically ill children with custom cakes. She also serves on the advisory council at The Institute of Culinary Education.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Elisa got hooked on baking as a child
• Elisa's career in fashion, working for Ralph Lauren and Frédéric Fekkai
• Her experience designing and making Ralph Lauren's 60th birthday cake
• The challenges of running a cake business
• Elisa's tips and advice for those just entering the cake and pastry business
• Her most challenging cake project
• Her shift from making cakes for clients to teaching and consulting
• And much more!