66 episodes

Join host Tish Boyle, managing editor of Pastry Arts Magazine, as she goes in-depth with prominent pastry and baking figures to explore their journey, lessons and advice to inspire professionals striving for excellence.

Pastry Arts Podcast Pastry Arts Magazine

    • Arts
    • 4.8 • 66 Ratings

Join host Tish Boyle, managing editor of Pastry Arts Magazine, as she goes in-depth with prominent pastry and baking figures to explore their journey, lessons and advice to inspire professionals striving for excellence.

    Mario Bacherini: Bringing Decades of Pastry and Chocolate Expertise to L’École Valrhona on the West Coast

    Mario Bacherini: Bringing Decades of Pastry and Chocolate Expertise to L’École Valrhona on the West Coast

    Based in Los Angeles, California, Chef Mario Bacherini is the West Coast Pastry Chef of L’École Valrhona, where is he is in charge of conducting classes, demonstrations and workshops for professionals, providing one-on-one culinary consultations and bringing Valrhona’s expert touch to the West Coast. After graduating from culinary school in Florence, Italy, Chef Bacherini went on to do his apprenticeship as a chocolatier. He began working in Michelin-starred restaurants across Italy and France until he decided to settle in Perpignan, France, where he trained under Olivier Bajard (Meilleur Ouvrier de France). In 2008 he moved to Paris, where he worked at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée with French Pastry World Champion Christophe Michalak. Four years later, Bacherini left Paris for New York City, where he took on the role of Executive Pastry Chef at Nobu, managing three restaurants. While in New York, he also traveled the world to teach pastry masterclasses in various countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Italy and France, as well as the United States. In 2017, he moved to Los Angeles where he began his own consulting company, providing consulting for bakeries, pastry shops and restaurants, and later on had the opportunity to work side by side with one of the best pastry chefs in the world, Amaury Guichon, in his newly opened school in Las Vegas. Chef Bacherini continued to deliver his expertise across the United States and abroad until he got the call from Valrhona to join their North America team at the beginning of 2023.
    In this episode we discuss:
    Bacherini’s challenging childhood and how he became interested in pastry Attending culinary school in Florence How he snagged his apprenticeship with a top-notch chocolatier Moving to France to work for Olivier Bajard, M.O.F. Working with French Pastry World Champion Christophe Michalak at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée Landing the position of Executive Pastry Chef at Nobu in NYC His experience teaching masterclasses around the globe How he became West Coast Pastry Chef for L’École Valrhona A typical day at the office for Chef Bacherini The importance of using high quality ingredients and staying “authentic” And much more!

    • 49 min
    Didier Saba: Turning a Passion for Macarons into a Thriving Business

    Didier Saba: Turning a Passion for Macarons into a Thriving Business

    Born and raised in the south of France, Didier Saba started his career as an accountant, but his love for creating French pastries eventually led to training at the famous pastry school Lenôtre. With the help of a renowned pastry chef from Lenôtre, he relocated to the United States and opened his first Le Macaron French Pastries Cafe in 2009. Didier and his family founded Le Macaron with the mission of bringing authentic macarons to the States. Educating and delighting customers about how macarons are truly “the gem of pastries” in France, the company has grown over the years through franchising with more than 70 locations nationwide. Today, Le Macaron is the #1 macaron franchise in the nation. Didier, who is the owner and CEO of Le Macaron, is often told that he has mastered the savoir faire of the macaron, which is one of the most difficult pastries to make.
    lemacaron-us.com or on Instagram @lemacaronfrenchpastries
    In this episode we discuss:
    How Didier came to specialize in macarons Coming to the U.S. to open a macaron shop in Florida Achieving success in a bad economy Adding more French products to the line Franchising Le Macaron Tips for making perfect macarons Most popular macaron flavors in the U.S. vs. France Didier’s advice for prospective pastry chefs And much more!

    • 23 min
    Gonzo Jimenez: Perfecting the Art of All-or-Nothing in Chocolate and in Life

    Gonzo Jimenez: Perfecting the Art of All-or-Nothing in Chocolate and in Life

    Chef Gonzo Jimenez was born in Northern Argentina and raised in a Spanish household surrounded by good food and long family meals. At the age of 17, he started working in restaurants and fell in love with the culinary world. He enrolled in pastry and culinary school in Buenos Aires. After completing his studies, he traveled around the country working for five-star hotels and celebrity chefs.
    From 2009 to 2013, Chef Gonzo worked for large hotels in the United States, including the St. Julien in Boulder, CO, and The Hyatt Corporation in New Orleans and New York. Most notable amongst his various accomplishments throughout this period was the launch of his personal line of chocolates, providing different hotels throughout Manhattan, NY with high-end confections.
    In 2013, he moved back to South America to work at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Santiago de Chile. Soon after he accepted a highly coveted position with Barry Callebaut as a Corporate Chef for the South American Region and Director of the Chocolate Academy in Chile.
    Chef Gonzo is República del Cacao’s Corporate Pastry Chef for the United States and North America. He travels North America representing the brand by teaching classes, giving demos, and providing technical assistance to all its customers. Visit Gonzo’s Instagram page at @chef.gonzo.
    In this episode, we discuss:
    How a young rebel got his intro to the culinary world The moment he became hooked on the art of chocolate Honing his skills at hotels and restaurants Learning about chocolate on an industrial level Opening a chocolate and pastry shop in Arizona His current position as Corporate Pastry Chef for North America at Republica del Cacao Running ultra-marathons as a hobby And much more!

    • 39 min
    Philip Khoury: Raising the Bar on Plant-Based Desserts

    Philip Khoury: Raising the Bar on Plant-Based Desserts

    Philip Khoury is the award-winning Head Pastry Chef at Harrods in London and the author of the newly released book A New Way to Bake: Re-imagined Recipes for Plant-Based Cakes, Bakes and Desserts (Hardie Grant, 2023). Chef Khoury started his career at Australia’s most awarded restaurant, Quay in Sidney, before becoming Adriano Zumbo’s head of R&D, launching hundreds of patisserie lines in his native Australia. After a number of years spent realizing the food industry’s unsustainable reliance on animal exploitation, he decided to begin tackling an area he had previously thought impossible: vegan pastry. He has launched a collection of plant-based and allergen-friendly patisserie at Harrods, as well as overseeing the production of their iconic made-in-house pastries and desserts. To learn more about Philip or to purchase his book, visit philipkhoury.com.
    In this episode we discuss:
    Tasting a Pierre Hermé pastry and realizing he wanted to pursue a career as a pâtissier What he learned while working at Quay, Australia’s most acclaimed restaurant From production kitchen to R&D at Adriano Zumbo and what he learned there How he landed his dream job at Harrods What motivated him to become vegan and how he introduced vegan desserts at Harrods Writing his first book and sharing a collection of approachable vegan dessert recipes Philip’s top tip for making a whipped ganache And much more!

    • 31 min
    Yolanda Gampp: The ‘Queen of Cakes’ and Host of YouTube’s ‘How To Cake It’

    Yolanda Gampp: The ‘Queen of Cakes’ and Host of YouTube’s ‘How To Cake It’

    Affectionately known by her fans as the ‘Queen Of Cakes’, Yolanda Gampp is a self-taught cake artist with more than 24 years of experience and half a billion views on YouTube. With her quirky personality, obsession with organization and commitment to perfection, Gampp has shown the world that even the most unexpected items can be turned into cake. She entertains while she teaches, laughs at her own mistakes and is one of the most respected and celebrated celebrity cake artists in the world. She has been featured as a judge on “Crime Scene Kitchen”, “Cake Wars,” “Best Baker in America” and “Nailed It,” to name a few. She is also the author of two cake books and recently released first children’s book. Gampp is the co-founder of How To Cake It, a content commerce company inspiring a community of more than 14 million people to become better bakers through live classes, courses, and more. www.howtocakeit.com
    In this episode we discuss:
    The moment that Yolanda fell in love with cake How she taught herself to craft sculpted cakes How she launched How To Cake It on YouTube Featured judging gigs on TV dessert competitions Writing projects: two cake books and a children’s book Expanding the How To Cake It brand Yolanda’s top tip for cake decorating And much more!  
    Episode Sponsored by
    The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley
    This podcast is sponsored by The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley. Get complimentary samples of The Perfect Puree to experience flavor, first-hand, delivered directly to your business. Samples are available to food service professionals in the United States to sample the robust flavor line-up of fruit puree, concentrates, zests and blends. Visit www.perfectpuree.com/pastryarts to request your samples now.

    • 27 min
    Adam Thomas: An Untempered Approach to Pastry and Chocolate

    Adam Thomas: An Untempered Approach to Pastry and Chocolate

    After over 20 years of making sweets in celebrated kitchens all over the world, Chef Adam Thomas launched his own brand, Thomas Craft Confections, in Brenham, TX. Adam began his professional journey working at a San Diego bakery at age 18 with Alsatian master baker Pascal Zindel, and it was there that he realized that confectionary arts was his calling. During a successful apprenticeship at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, Adam connected with long-time mentor, Jean-Francois “Jeff” Lehuede. While still working at the Ritz-Carlton, Adam took on a second role at the St Regis Monarch Beach Resort to learn from pastry chef Stéphan Tréand, MOF. After taking the role of Head Pastry Chef at the Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey, Adam was sent to help open other Ritz-Carlton hotels in Abaco Island, Bahamas, and Denver, Colorado. From there, Adam was sent to Enniskerry Ireland to assist with another opening at the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt. Then it was chocolate competitions in Cologne, Germany, and Madrid, Spain and learning chocolate science in T’Hain l’Hermitage, France and Schwyz, Switzerland. Adam went on to Executive Pastry Chef residencies at Capella Singapore, The Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, and at the longest running 5-star resort in the country, The Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs. It was in Colorado Adam was able to sink his teeth into the baking and pastry program and make it one of the very best in the country. Adam now owns and operates Thomas Craft Confections in Brenham, Texas.
     In this episode we discuss:
     How Adam got hooked on pastry His apprenticeship under Pascal Zindel His illustrious, global career with the Ritz-Carlton Why he was drawn to chocolate work The experience of chocolate competitions in Europe Working in Singapore and appreciating desserts with less sugar and fat Engaging with peers on the ‘Untempered’ podcast Adam’s kitchen tips and advice for neophyte pastry cooks  And much more! Episode Sponsored by
    Guittard Chocolate Company
    We know the level of expertise required to succeed in pastry.  At Guittard, our family has been perfecting our craft for five generations.  We source premium cacao beans from all over the world to offer a variety of flavor profiles and meet any application need. Now these chocolates are available in an easy to use 3 kilo bag.  At Guittard, we focus on the chocolate details so you can focus on your craft.  Visit www.Guittard.com to learn more.

    • 38 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
66 Ratings

66 Ratings

ICUStat ,

MJD

The podcast featuring Matthew James Duffy was full of helpful hints and suggestions that will help me be a better home/cottage baker. Thanks!

science_science_obey ,

ITM

Just found this! I’ve listened to 2 episodes so far. It brings to life these chefs that I only know through books and magazines. My only critique is that at times the interviews can seem a little rushed. Considering that a lot of these people have a huge body of work. If the show was 2 to 3 hours long, I wouldn’t be mad.

Rmsac ,

My Morning Drive Entertainment

Love listening to these interviews, which are as entertaining as they are informative -- thank you, Tish, for your focus on the pastry industry. I've followed Tish's work since her days at Chocolatier, and am a huge fan. I particularly like the Podcast's unique role in providing an opportunity to some of the superstars in the field to open up about their lives, their careers and to offer some advice to those starting out. Would love to hear more interviews with chocolatiers!!! ;-)

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