Five Top Pastry Chefs on Cryovacs, Bob's Donuts and the Archaic Lava Cake
Their favorite doughnuts, candy bars and other guilty pleasures.
Luis Villavelazquez, pastry chef, Orson Favorite dessert ingredient? Right now, beets are my favorite ... because of the color, the sweetness, the raw earthy flavor. I’m also really into pine and Douglas fir—though I have to work on how I’m going to use those [in desserts]. The best dessert you’ve had in SF lately? This is tough because I don’t eat dessert on Sunday [my day off]. But about a month ago Nopa had this awesome bread pudding. It was so rich and deadly for me. And at Pizzeria Mozza in L.A., I had an awesome key-lime ice-cream soufflé pie. So good! What’s your favorite packaged sweet? Oh no! This packaged-sweet question is a bad one for me. I love Reese’s peanut butter cups in a bad way, and Sour Patch Kids, which goes back to childhood. What dessert trend are you seeing in SF right now? Regression to simple crowd-pleasers with a twist, like lava cakes/chocolate decadence, ice-cream plates, tarts with sauce. I hate it, because I am trying so hard to expand people’s concept of dessert, because they can be so archaic. But [I think] it has to do with the difficult times we are in now. Your favorite savory dish in the city? My inspiration [for desserts] comes from savory dishes. I go to Nopa a lot ... a little too much, maybe. Their burger is number one on my list. Citizen Cake has these awesome fish tacos I have for brunch ... such a hangover cure! Tell me your Favorite:
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Keith Jeanminette, pastry chef, San Francisco Marriott (formerly the longtime pastry chef of Masa's) Favorite dessert ingredient? I’m going to say peaches, specifically Frog Hollow "August red" peaches. The best dessert you’ve had in SF lately? A trio of hot and cold shots at Cortez. What’s your favorite packaged sweet? Fig Newtons. What dessert trend are you seeing in SF right now? I’ve noticed restaurants are acknowledging comfort-food desserts, but they are being slightly reconstructed or reinvented in some clever way. Your favorite savory dish in the city? I had an incredible seared day-boat scallop with white-bean ragout at Boulevard recently. Favorite:
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William Werner, pastry chef, Quince Favorite dessert ingredient? Hibiscus. I have a deep affection for hibiscus because of its bright, clean flavor profile and brilliant acidity, as well as the lush red color. I am very fond of it with eucalyptus and milk chocolate. The best dessert you’ve had in SF lately? The beautiful cannelés made by Alan Carter at Mission Beach Café. What’s your favorite packaged sweet? Pocky Japanese dessert sticks—Almond Crush flavor in particular. What dessert trend are you seeing in SF right now? French-style macarons. Vive la France! Your favorite savory dish in the city? A bucket of fried chicken with all the fixin’s, Speakeasy from the cask and some good friends at the Front Porch. Favorite:
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Boris Portnoy, pastry chef at large (formerly the pastry chef of Campton Place) Favorite dessert ingredient? Pomelo. I especially like candying the peels. The best dessert you’ve had recently in SF? An old-fashioned doughnut, ribbed, from Bob’s Donuts [ed's note: see #80] on Polk. What’s your favorite packaged sweet? Hostess Sno Balls. What dessert trend are you seeing in SF right now? There are two. One is more technical, cooking with modern tools like Cryovac machines and alginates, [the] equivalent of a synth pop music. The other trend is regression to basics, [the] equivalent of folk music. But these both trends address one issue, taste and entertainment. I love synth pop just as much as folk. Your favorite savory dish in the city? I do love the offal Sunday dinners at the Alembic. Always something out of the box, plus it’s only two blocks from my house. Dangerous. Favorite:
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