The American restaurant revolution of the past 20 years has focused attention on a new generation of pastry chefs--men and women whose work has gained recognition beyond their field. In The Making of a Pastry Chef, pâtissière-author Andrew MacLauchlan presents more than 30 of these talented chefs, exploring with them what it is they actually do, how their own interest in dessert making developed and expresses itself, career trajectories, and more. Woven among the autobiographical and career data are more than 50 of the chefs' signature recipes, approachable formulae for the likes of Chocolate Polvarones (Mexican wedding cookies from Wayne Brachman, Mesa Grill, New York), Persian Mulberry-Poached Fiori Figs (Sherri Yard, Spago, Beverly Hills), and Pear Financier with Hazelnut Praline Ice Cream (Sebastien Cannone, The French Pastry School, Chicago). The book will interest those contemplating a pastry career in particular, but will also appeal to readers curious about food work in general, as well as modern restaurant operation.

Beginning with a brief history of sweets (birch syrup was a prehistoric treat), the book then explores American dessert traditions, in the home and out. Other topics include desert-making inspiration, formative baking experiences, and customer demands and expectations, among others. The book also details a typical workday for a number of the chefs--it's a long day on your feet--and explores current and foreseeable pastry trends. MacLauchlan also provides a general-use flavor combination chart plus 60 photos depicting the dessert specialties and the chefs in action. Concise biographies of the chefs conclude this compelling account of lives spent in the service of the insatiable human sweet tooth. --Arthur Boehm

From Library Journal
As the title indicates, MacLauchlan, pastry chef at Santa Fe's Coyote Caf?, looks at the training, skills, and passion necessary in pursuing a career as a pastry chef. He organizes his book according to various aspects of this career, including its history, inspirations behind choosing this way of life, education and training, as well as traditions and trends. Unfortunately, the personal anecdotes of well-known pastry chefs that make this work interesting also tend to bog it down. Where one or two stories might make for an enjoyable and valuable reading experience, more than that results in a tedious repetition of advice. Interspersed among these oral histories are recipes that vary in level of difficulty. Still, this book is recommended for larger cooking and career guidance collections.ADebra Mitts, Burlington Area Lib., IL Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Eselsohren, Kaffeeflecken, inspirierend und fantastisch anzuschauen - mit diesen Worten würde ich The Making of a Pastry Chef beschreiben, und das werden Sie auch tun. Es ist eine wertvolle Ergänzung im Bücherregal jedes Küchenchefs - vom Anfänger bis zum Profi." Michele Brown, Pastry Chef, Personal Instructor

Nancy Silverton, Campanile and La Brea Bakery
"Being a pastry chef is so much more than baking a successful batch of chocolate chip cookies! In THE MAKING OF A PASTRY CHEF, you will find some of this field's top dessert makers talking shop with a colleague in a way that is frank and compelling."

Michael Schneider, Chocolatier Magazine
"This book reads like a who's who in the pastry world and contains a vast amount of information. Andrew's writing is as good as his pastry and his pastry is as good as it gets."

Mark Miller, Executive Chef, The Coyote Cafe
"Anyone with a sweet tooth will find a lot of pleasure in this book! Take a ride through dessert history and be in the kitchen with today's best architects of sweets. If you have ever asked yourself 'how did they ever think up this combination of ingredients?', here are the answers."

Book Description
"A first of its kind! In The Making of a Pastry Chef, Andrew MacLauchlan has gathered the hearts, minds, and souls of some of our greatest talents. It is easy to get caught up in the chapters of this inspiring collection of recipes and stories. This is required reading for anyone fascinated by food–and especially the sweet kind!"–Dan Budd, The Culinary Institute of America "Being a pastry chef is so much more than baking a successful batch of chocolate chip cookies! In The Making of a Pastry Chef, you will find some of this field’s top dessert makers talking shop with a colleague in a way that is frank and compelling."–Nancy Silverton, Campanile and La Brea Bakery "This book reads like a who’s who in the pastry world and contains a vast amount of information. Andrew’s writing is as good as his pastry and his pastry is as good as it gets."–Michael Schneider, Chocolatier Magazine

From the Inside Flap
As pastry chefs trade supporting roles for star status on today’s culinary stage, there has never been a better time to belong to this exciting profession. Going behind the scenes and into the kitchen, The Making of a Pastry Chef takes an unprecedented inside look at the pastry chef’s fascinating world, with a treasury of interviews, anecdotes, and classic recipes from many of the nation’s leading pastry professionals. Richard Leach (Park Avenue Cafe, New York), Nancy Silverton (Campanile and La Brea Bakery, Los Angeles), Jacques Torres (Le Cirque 2000, New York), Sebastian Canonne (The French Pastry School, Chicago), and Roland Mesnier (The White House, Washington, DC) are just a few of the figures who share their thoughts and experiences on every aspect of this vibrant, demanding field. With honesty and humor, they reveal their passion in forging careers that combine craft and creativity with sound business and managerial skills. In the process, they offer candid opinions and advice on training, career development, influences and inspiration, personal style, food and dessert trends, and much more. Which celebrated pastry chef once went out to lunch, forgetting most of a day’s work in the oven? Which pastry chef suffered the spectacular demise of a multi-tiered wedding cake just one hour before the big event? The Making of a Pastry Chef shows how these talented professionals survived kitchen catastrophes and career obstacles to learn from their mistakes and continue to the top. The Making of a Pastry Chef includes more than fifty inspiring recipes from an impressive roster of leading pastry chefs, along with sixty photographs that capture the spirit, dedication, and energy of pastry work. Biographies of all featured chefs give a sense of the many different career paths that can lead to success. For today’s pastry chef, the responsibilities are great–and so are the rewards. Essential reading for anyone with a true love of food, The Making of a Pastry Chef celebrates an extraordinary world where with every new dessert, every hand-dipped chocolate, and every breakfast pastry comes a fresh opportunity to bring great taste to life.

From the Back Cover
"A first of its kind! In The Making of a Pastry Chef, Andrew MacLauchlan has gathered the hearts, minds, and souls of some of our greatest talents. It is easy to get caught up in the chapters of this inspiring collection of recipes and stories. This is required reading for anyone fascinated by food–and especially the sweet kind!"–Dan Budd, The Culinary Institute of America "Being a pastry chef is so much more than baking a successful batch of chocolate chip cookies! In The Making of a Pastry Chef, you will find some of this field’s top dessert makers talking shop with a colleague in a way that is frank and compelling."–Nancy Silverton, Campanile and La Brea Bakery "This book reads like a who’s who in the pastry world and contains a vast amount of information. Andrew’s writing is as good as his pastry and his pastry is as good as it gets."–Michael Schneider, Chocolatier Magazine

About the Author
ANDREW MacLAUCHLAN, a nationally distinguished pastry chef and author, is Executive Pastry Chef at the Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Las Vegas, Nevada. His books include Flavored Breads: Recipes from Mark Millers Coyote Cafe, Tropical Desserts, and New Classic Desserts, which was nominated for a James Beard Book Award.

SCOTT VLAUN photographs botany, architecture, and food for a variety of magazines, books, and catalogs. His recent projects include Garden Cycle: A Gardener's Daybook and Cool Coyote Cafe Juice Drinks, as well as Flavored Breads and Tropical Desserts with Andrew MacLauchlan. He is currently based in Santa Fe, New Mexico and New York City.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

As pastry chefs trade supporting roles for star status on today's culinary stage, there has never been a better time to belong to this exciting profession. Going behind the scenes and into the kitchen, The Making of a Pastry Chef takes an unprecedented inside look at the pastry chef's fascinating world, with a treasury of interviews, anecdotes, and classic recipes from many of the nation's leading pastry professionals.

Richard Leach (Park Avenue Cafe, New York), Nancy Silverton (Campanile and La Brea Bakery, Los Angeles), Jacques Torres (Le Cirque 2000, New York), Sebastian Canonne (The French Pastry School, Chicago), and Roland Mesnier (The White House, Washington, DC) are just a few of the figures who share their thoughts and experiences on every aspect of this vibrant, demanding field. With honesty and humor, they reveal their passion in forging careers that combine craft and creativity with sound business and managerial skills. In the process, they offer candid opinions and advice on training, career development, influences and inspiration, personal style, food and dessert trends, and much more.

Which celebrated pastry chef once went out to lunch, forgetting most of a day's work in the oven? Which pastry chef suffered the spectacular demise of a multi-tiered wedding cake just one hour before the big event? The Making of a Pastry Chef shows how these talented professionals survived kitchen catastrophes and career obstacles to learn from their mistakes and continue to the top.

The Making of a Pastry Chef includes more than fifty inspiring recipes from an impressive roster of leading pastry chefs, along with sixty photographs that capture the spirit, dedication, and energy of pastry work. Biographies of all featured chefs give a sense of the many different career paths that can lead to success.

For today's pastry chef, the responsibilities are great-and so are the rewards. Essential reading for anyone with a true love of food, The Making of a Pastry Chef celebrates an extraordinary world where with every new dessert, every hand-dipped chocolate, and every breakfast pastry comes a fresh opportunity to bring great taste to life.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal