Last Updated on August 9, 2024
Pastries.
If your mouth isn’t watering after the mere mention, then something’s gone terribly wrong.
Pastry represents its own little corner of the culinary arts, and at the same time, it’s an expansive category that spans numerous cultures and traditions.
It’s also a challenging category to manage. Don’t misunderstand me. If you’re doing some baking at home and you follow a trusted recipe to a T, then you’ll probably be just fine. It’s not witchcraft.
But at the professional level, the work becomes much more complex, and scheduling baking processes to line up with service adds an extra element of stress. Everything needs to be fresh and ready for the customers at precisely the right time. At high-end restaurants and pastry shops, even the smallest mistake could mean disaster. The pastries have to be perfect every time.
But don’t take my word for it. I talked with a pastry expert from the world of fine dining to learn more.
Last month, I was presented with an exciting opportunity: I was given the chance to interview an Executive Pastry Chef named Antoine Jardin.
Jardin is the Executive Pastry Chef of The Dinex Group’s Centurion New York restaurant, which just opened in March of this year. Jardin and his team have been planning for this launch for many months now, and it seemed like the perfect occasion to celebrate with a discussion on the artistry, creativity, and inspiration that go into exceptional pastries.
Preparing for Centurion’s opening
Let’s begin by talking for a moment about Centurion New York, the new restaurant where Jardin is working as Executive Pastry Chef.
The Dinex Group, headed up by the acclaimed Chef Daniel Boulud, has a long track record of success, opening restaurants of the highest quality in multiple locations around the world.
Even so, preparing to open a new restaurant is no petty task. Not only is there staffing to consider, as well as furnishings and layout, but the heads of each department also need to work together to create just the right menu, one that will wow guests and make an excellent first impression.
Jardin spoke to the stress and excitement of the process.
“It’s been really great. It’s a huge project, and openings are intense. It’s challenging to train the staff and ensure we are all working towards the same goal. I opened a fine dining restaurant in France as well as the re-opening of the Ritz Paris. We worked on the menu for over three months and the team was a lot bigger, comparatively. But my experience provided me with insight for the Centurion project. It helped me to foresee and anticipate our needs.”
But the work doesn’t end there. For every day that Centurion opens its doors, Jardin and his team need to be at the top of their game to deliver excellence every single time.
All this hard work wouldn’t mean a thing if the pastries themselves weren’t delicious, which brings us to the creativity behind the creations.
Nurturing creativity
In my mind, pastries mean creativity. It’s not that I think pastry chefs need to constantly create outlandish and wildly original treats to earn respect and notoriety. Of course not. Mastery of classic pastries also needs to be considered.
But creativity in this field can take many different forms. It might mean making small adjustments to an existing recipe to change the flavor profile. Or it might mean creating a pastry that’s all your own.
And keep in mind that experimentation within the area of baking and pastry is generally more difficult than experimentation in cooking because many of the processes associated with baking are very specific and fickle. One small alteration to the ingredients or the incorrect measurement of a particular ingredient could mean the pastry won’t bake properly, or that it will need to be baked at a different temperature.
For these reasons, the concept of applying artistic creativity to the creation of pastries is an appealing one, but, at least from my perspective, it also seems quite challenging.
On top of all the immediate challenges of proofing and baking, professional pastry chefs also have to earn a position in which they’re allowed to make these creative decisions, often after years of hard work.
In Jardin’s case, he spent years making pastries that the Executive Chef would choose. But over time, this wealth of experience prepared him for the day when he was able to take charge and unleash his creativity.
“I was at The Ritz for seven years, creating pastries under the supervision of the Executive Chef. It wasn’t until the last two years, when I began teaching classes, that I really took the helm and started designing my own creations.”
Of course, creativity here isn’t completely open-ended. There is a definite goal in mind: it has to taste good and look good, too. This isn’t creativity for creativity’s sake. It’s about creating something new and exciting that people will enjoy.
For an expert pastry chef like Jardin, applying creativity and trying new things is an ongoing process. It’s not something you try for a set amount of time and then move on from, and this applies to the artistry of pastry-making as well. Jardin isn’t content just to be an expert in his field, he also wants to earn his place as an artist, one who improves each year.
“For me, the artistic aspect of the pastry craft is ever-evolving, and I am in constant pursuit of ways to improve.”
Out of sheer curiosity, I asked Jardin whether his work for high-end dining establishments has altered the way he experiences pastries from other bakeries, restaurants, etc. I wanted to know if his work, his experiences, and his knowledge color his enjoyment of others’ culinary creations. For example, does he critique the food while tasting it?
Jardin said that, while there was a time when he did something like this, he doesn’t invite those distractions anymore.
“When I was younger, I was more critical. But now I realize that everyone has different tastes, and there are so many techniques in the trade. I want to just enjoy the product as a regular customer.”
The highest expectations
As you would expect, the standards at establishments like Centurion New York and the Ritz Paris are extremely high.
A restaurant’s reputation is critically important to its long-term success. If guests notice a drop in quality, even a minor drop, they may never want to come back, they may not recommend the restaurant to their friends.
In other industries, one bad day is just that. But in the culinary arts, one bad day could be the start of a domino effect that leads to bad reviews and financial difficulty in the future.
When I asked Jardin about the most enduring lesson he’s taken away from working with so many fine dining establishments, he went right to this topic.
“I think the biggest lesson is there is no ‘in the middle’. If you are putting a new item on the menu, it has to surpass expectations. If it is just nice, people may come back, but if it looks good and tastes good, leaving the customer with a lingering favorable impression, that’s how you build a client base.”
This highlights the reverse of that domino effect I mentioned. If the restaurant and its dishes are making a positive impact, then it can lead to even more positive effects.
This is why such high standards are put into place. The staff members of these restaurants need to understand from the word go that mistakes, even minor ones, are problematic for the success of the restaurant.
It’s something that Jardin has learned well over many years of working with renowned restaurants and skilled staff, and it’s a concept that he’s carried through to his work with Centurion New York.
Feeding on inspiration
Ending on a lighter topic, I decided to ask Jardin about his inspirations. After all, he’s had so much experience not only working with other lauded staff in the industry, but also tasting some of the best food in the world.
Jardin singled out two pastry chefs whose work continues to inspire him today.
“François Perret is the Head Pastry Chef at the Ritz. I worked there for a long time because I really respect him and wanted to learn as much as I could under his tutelage. Chef Pierre Hermé is another example. They are both experts in the field, combining elegance and simplicity with modern tastes. What they make aren’t just desserts, they’re pastry art.
Beyond the work of other pastry chefs, Jardin also mentioned finding inspiration in specific ingredients.
“I like to use fresh fruit as part of colored desserts. If I were making a mango dessert, for example, I would try to give a different texture to the dish to bring varying levels of taste to the dessert.”
Most importantly, he continues to search for new sources of inspiration, bolstering the creativity of this unique discipline.
So if you’re lucky enough to visit Centurion for yourself, take my advice: don’t skip dessert.
