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          When you have made as many mistakes as I have, then you will know everything that I know.
  Jacques Torres
Dean of Pastry Arts


 
          Through The FCI's increcible connections, I was able to intern at Daniel and with François Payard. This was an invaluable experience that inspired me and which I still draw upon today
  Richard Muszynski
Classic Pastry Arts, Class of 1999 and Chef-Ownar, Ricard Chocolat


featured pastry graduates

Elyssa Robbins Fournier The (Rolling) Pin is Mightier: A tough-minded journalist gets a sweet morning of baking with Chef Elyssa. READ MORE

Bonnie Altholz Baby Cakes: She's cooked for the Hollywood celebrities and the Queen of Thailand. Her next challenge? Six-year-olds. READ MORE

Jason Licker Room for Creativity: Chef Jason Licker is creating cutting-edge hotel restaurant desserts with spice, herbs, and happiness. READ MORE

Fabiane, Carla, and Alma Come Home to our Café: How to please a diverse young neighborhood—make them think they're in grandma's kitchen. READ MORE

Peter Baldino III Peter Baldino III is adding whisks and spoons to his sculptor's chisels. How's his future taking shape? READ MORE

 

Elyssa Robbins Fournier: The (Rolling) Pin is Mightier

His realm is politics, history, and contemporary culture. Hers is butter, sugar, and cream. But the delectable creations of Elyssa Robbins Fournier (Pastry, '98), inspired the notable writer Ron Rosenbaum to be her assistant pastry chef for one morning.

Rosenbaum is author of four books, including: Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil; The Secret Parts of Fortune; and Travels with Dr. Death and Other Unusual Investigations. He has written essays and journalism for Harper's, Esquire, The New Republic, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The New York Observer, and cover stories for The New York Times Magazine. What made him briefly put down the pen to take up the rolling pin?

[Elyssa's pastries] were enough, according to Ron Rosenbaum, to "drive you mad with pleasure."


It was the power of Elyssa's pastry making creativity: buttery fruit tarts, chocolate flourless cupcakes, pear muffins, chocolate-chip muffins, apple cakes and currant-studded scones. They were enough, according to Rosenbaum, to "drive you mad with pleasure." He became a pre-work morning regular at the bakery and café where Elyssa was pastry chef, Café Indulge, in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan.

Originally, Elyssa says, "Those of us working at the café knew nothing about Ron — not even his first name. We just thought of him as Sconeman, because he would order scones every single day. Somebody'd say, 'Was Sconeman in today?' And somebody else would say, 'Yup!' And then one night, I was watching The History Channel, a documentary about World War II. I heard a familiar voice, looked closer at the screen and said, 'Hey, that's Sconeman!'"

"Sconeman" loved Elyssa's work so much, he began to be protective of her currant scones, fearing that her newer, "crowd-pleasing" versions with chocolate chips and almonds were sending her in the direction of Starbuck's, as he told it. So, as she developed more variations, he asked to work with her one summer morning to learn to make her classics with currants.

Under her careful guidance, he mixed and rolled out and baked scones that, as he tells it, "rocked." That same morning, he also hauled brioche dough up from the proofing box to the oven, and made paté a choux for eclairs. He discovered important distinctions between loving to eat pastry and loving to be a pastry chef. Elyssa was the perfect one to teach him, for she loves pastry making. She bakes at work, then bakes at home for the pure pleasure of it.

Elyssa creditsThe FCI with giving her "a very good background, because they do some of everything. You get a great foundation for your own creativity."


But Elyssa didn't start out to be a pastry chef. She came to New York from California, where she had been a schoolteacher in a good school, having achieved her undergraduate degree and finished graduate school. "When I moved to New York, I could only get jobs in terrible schools, where I would have been hired as a teacher, but had to act as a guard and a policewoman. I was so miserable, I'd go right home and bake and bake and bake. Finally, my friends asked me, 'Why don't you go to cooking school?'" Not everybody around her was in love with the idea. "I mentioned it to my father, who had always been very supportive of me in my life," Elyssa added, "and he hung right up on me. Ultimately, he was pleased with my choice and impressed with where it took me."

Elyssa credits The FCI with giving her "a very good background, because they do some of everything. You get a great foundation for your own creativity." Elyssa externed at Le Cirque and Musette, where she later became Assistant Pastry Chef. She moved to Le Pain Quotidien, a Belgian bakery, to learn about their "amazing breads." And was given free reign as Pastry Chef at Café Indulge.

Not only did work get more and more enjoyable, Elyssa's life got sweeter in other ways. She met her future husband, Yves Fournier, through a pastry chef she had worked with at Musette. Now they are married, back in California, cooking happily at home, working in the restaurant business, and planning their own restaurant, featuring Mediterranean cuisine.

Ron Rosenbaum turned his morning being a pastry chef into his own labor of love, a lively column about the experience for The New York Observer. Fresh from the fumes of butter and sugar, the journalist who usually tackles the hard issues of this life -- even tucked in a recipe.

And you can have it here.

Current Scones
3 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup currants

cut butter into dry ingredients till it resembles coarse meal add in currants pour in cream, mix just till combined

shape into 2 disks, cut into wedges, brush with egg wash and bake at 350 F. till golden



Bonnie Altholz: Baby Cakes

When celebrities like Liam Neeson, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Douglas and Whitney Houston want celebration cakes, they've called on "New York's Reigning Cake Diva," Sylvia Weinstock. When Sylvia wanted assistance in creating her sumptuous works of art in pastry, she called on Bonnie Altholz ('96). Bonnie was not only hired for a coveted position, she received a mention in Sylvia's book, Sweet Celebrations.

"Baking for Sylvia was a feather in my cap. So many people tried to get even an internship, but I was given a job right away -- it was thrilling." says Bonnie. Bonnie was responsible for menu item development, organized tastings for clients, and supervised and executed all phases of production of Sylvia's pastry items, including wedding cakes, fillings, and icings. Thereafter, Bonnie continued developing her skills at Le Cirque 2000.

But then Bonnie seems to be able to set her (feathered) cap for nearly anything and do it with loving attention and an extraordinary level of caring detail. Before creating cakes with Sylvia, she spent over seven years as the chef at the Thai Embassy, learning the culture, and preparing cuisine that had to be absolutely exemplary. Among the many dignitaries she met was the Queen of Thailand.

"At The FCI, I learned so much about food that I am able to go from front of the house to back of the house with no problem. It gave me a well-rounded, excellent education so I could go just about anywhere I wanted."


How did a background in classic French technique translate into embassy-level Thai cooking? Apparently, very well. "I have never cooked French since I left The FCI. I'm now doing Italian food as Catering Director for Agata & Valentina. French skills are still the basis for all my cooking." Indeed, Bonnie credits her training with extending her versatility even further. "At The FCI, I learned so much about food that I am able to go from front of the house to back of the house with no problem. It gave me a well-rounded, excellent education so I could go just about anywhere I wanted."

Like many of the chefs she trained with, Bonnie started in another profession and had to find her way to her calling. "I was working in a real estate investment company, and was so bored." A friend told her about an opening in a catering firm as an event planner and private home catering consultant. Bonnie was hired, enjoyed the work, yet found herself gravitating more and more toward the kitchen. She had fallen in love with cooking, and pursued her training at The FCI.

But the first stages of her culinary education started many years earlier, in the kitchen of her grandmother, Eve Altholz, where wonderful memories were made. Eve, a gifted artist, invited her grandchildren to learn to bake butter cookies. To pass the time until the cookies were baked, Eve would show the children how to draw, paint, and use pastels, as the enticing fragrance of the cookies wafted from the oven.

Bonnie carries on this tradition with some of the celebrations she plans today, baking 100 little cakes for children to decorate at a corporate family day event. Teaching kids to construct fanciful gingerbread houses. Creating, along with her ultra-sophisticated wedding cakes and elegant events, a fully edible Pokemon cake for a six-year-old's party. Coming full circle, Bonnie plans to extend her work in teaching baking and arts and crafts to children in the months ahead. It's what's close to her heart, and she'll do it beautifully. We're guessing that along with her marvelous treats, Bonnie may be giving some little kids a first taste of their future profession.



Jason Licker: Room for Creativity

Hotel dining hasn't had a reputation for exciting desserts, but Chef Jason Licker (Pastry '99) is changing that. At "The Fives" at the Peninsula New York, you can experience Black Pepper Cake with Caramel Pears and Crème Fraiche; Passion Fruit Crème Brulee with Champagne (suspended on a disk of Kataifi); or, on a lighter note, Citrus with Fennel Sorbet and Citrus Reduction (with pink peppercorns). Each is a Calderesque work of art, beautifully balanced, complex and delectable.

"The trend in pastry is toward the more cutting edge, more adventurous and refined, and in a hotel today, you try to shy away from the prototypical chocolate cake, the standard fruit tart. I try to add something nice and funky to the mix…like a spice or herb or a nice tuille or sugar garnish to make it look more attractive to the eye and give a better taste," he explains.

Jason's interest in cooking started with eating. He grew up on Long Island in a family of "real eaters. We would go through phases where we would eat brownies…muffins… I was studying English education in college when my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and was put on special diet. She couldn't even eat a muffin, because of the high fat, sugar and sodium. One day, I got a basic recipe, substituted bananas for butter, and it came out halfway decent."

Making more desserts for his Mom sparked Jason's interest. He started studying cookbooks, watching The Food Network, and even helped finance college by selling fat-free cheesecake to fellow students because "everybody gains 20 pounds their first semester."

Eventually, Jason bought a Zagat guide, sent out ten letters to top New York restaurants, went back home, and tried not to think about it. Stacey Pierce of The Union Square Café called early one morning and "gave me a shot" as an intern. "I wanted to do that before I went to culinary school just to make sure I liked it, because I had just done four years of college." Jason then visited The FCI, loved the kitchen, and "That was it."

He particularly liked The FCI's instructors. "I think everything in pastry's structured around technique. I like the way the instructors would keep an eye on you and your progress. They're really hands on, but it's up to you to get as much out of what you went there for. I thought it was great. It covered everything in pastry. The only thing I didn't like is that I had to get up early."

While going to school, Jason worked at Jean-Georges as a pastry cook. He helped Charlie Palmer open Métrazur in Grand Central Station. At 22, Jason was ordering inventory, making menus, and managing staff. "Charlie told me that I would learn from my mistakes."

Jason decided he wanted to learn from one more great chef, and became assistant to Kim O'Flaherty. Together, they opened the Shore Club Hotel's Nobu and Serena in North Beach "from the ground up." She moved on and he took her place. The charms of Miami were considerable, but Jason decided to return to New York, for the food establishments.

Jason enjoys the range of options a hotel offers, from amenities, with sugar and chocolate work, the multiple restaurants, private dining, and banquets. "You can do homey stuff, upscale stuff…there is room for creativity." He plans to continue in hotels, eventually owning a business because "yourself is the best person to work for."

"You have to really love pastry. This is a tough industry. What you put on a plate reflects how you feel about what you do. If you really enjoy being there, putting the time in and doing the gruntwork, it will reflect in your food. It will just taste better." The proof of the pudding…and the pastry…is in the eating. Jason Licker is a happy man indeed.



Fabiane, Carla, and Alma: Come Home to our Café.


Cooking at the Café: [L to R]
Chef Carla Lopes, Chef Fabiane Lima, Chef Alma Malabanan
The novelist Anne Tyler once wrote about a fictional restaurant where the owner would "cook what people felt homesick for." In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, there is a hip café filled with heart, where the palates of a diverse neighborhood are soothed and pleased with everything from Brazilian Yucca Cake to Irish Scones with Whipped Cream. You might expect the place to belong to the world's best grandmothers. Instead, Fabiane's Café and Pastry is run by graduates of The FCI: Chef Fabiane Lima ('95), Chef Carla Lopes ('98), and Chef Alma Malabanan ('97).

Fabiane's Café and Pastry was created from "an abandoned old building…we even had to dig out the basement," explains Fabiane. The space was designed with Feng Shui, the Chinese art of placement, so it would overflow with positive energy. Sunlight radiates through the curved windows and illuminates crisp white wainscoting. There are areas with typical small café tables, and then there is "the knowledge corner," with a long, inviting built-in bench and spacious wooden tables where readers can relax. There are two kitchens for the staff: a pastry kitchen on the main floor, and a culinary kitchen and walk-in freezer in the basement.

Along with a variety of generous sandwiches, soups, salads, coffee drinks, and hot dishes, you'll find the Yucca Cake and Scones, plus everything from Caramel Macciato, Almond Macaroons,

"All the chefs at Fabiane's Café learned at The FCI. We have the same discipline, which really makes a difference."


Passion Fruit Mousse fashioned into chocolate-detailed ladybugs, to French tarts and eclairs, and even classic American cupcakes with buttercream roses. Components are organic, seasonal, locally grown. Everything, except the bread, is made on the premises. A good dinner and dessert can be had for $10 to $12. Fabiane's also does catering and makes wedding cakes to order.

"Before this, I worked in the media for many years…I also had a catering business and made chocolates by special order. It was all very private and upscale," Fabiane added. But, for this café, I wanted a place where anyone could come and eat and enjoy. I wanted the food to be simple, good, and reasonably priced. "

The approach has engendered great loyalty. "People who come here will come three or four times a day. I know half of my customers by name. On weeknights, particularly, they'll be here at 11 p.m. closing time, asking if they really have to go home."

What happens behind the scenes is as nourishing for the team as the food is for the customers. "I was in television. Alma was a theatre teacher. Carla, our youngest, graduated from pastry school. Now, we're all part of a team. We all learned at The FCI. We have the same discipline, which really makes a difference. Everyone in power here is a woman. We're happy and take pride in our work. Every month, we have a meeting with our partners, who also helped build the place. Everyone speaks. And we keep getting better."



Man of Steel...and Soufflés
Peter Baldino III is adding whisks and spoons to his sculptor's chisels. How's his future taking shape?

Peter Baldino III of Brooklyn seemed to have his life worked out. Completing his degree in Sculpture at Pratt Institute in 2000, he was creating art in wood and steel, punctuated by art-related jobs with a prestigious museum (The Cooper-Hewitt), artists, movers, and galleries.

But the day we found him, he had been practicing with piping gel as a Level One Pastry Arts student at The FCI. How did he get here?

After two years of the artist's life, he faced the fact that he was not making enough sculpture to make a go of it. He took his time to sculpt meticulously; he found he didn't always want to part with work when it was finished. So Peter began to wonder about finding an interesting, creative way to earn a living. A feature on sugar sculpture spurred him to investigate Pastry Arts.

Once he decided, he wanted to change quickly: "I had just finished undergrad at Pratt, a four-year program... and I didn't want to do that again. So I looked at the program here [at The FCI], it was great, it was six months, very intense... and I knew I was going to have to really push myself to keep up and to excel. And I'm pleased with that."

"It's basic, but it's so easy to mess it up. When it's really good, it's great, and when it's bad, it's horrible!"


As a fine artist, Peter had a shock or two waiting in the pastry kitchen. He found that working with steel and wood was far more controllable than working with dough, "a medium that's sort of alive." The desserts that intrigue him most are the simplest, such as Tarte Tatin. "It's basic, but it's so easy to mess it up. When it's really good, it's great, and when it's bad, it's horrible!"

"...They teach you the VERY STANDARD. It's like, 'If you can pull this off, you can eventually go out and do what you want.'"


Art school involved rigorous training, so Peter came to The FCI appreciating the value of the fundamentals. "In my art courses, like my pastry courses, I learned the basics about any of the materials I ever worked with. They teach you the VERY STANDARD. It's like, 'If you can pull this off, you can eventually go out and do what you want.'"

"At The FCI, they're teaching us classic pastry arts, and you have to have it CLASSIC. If you're going to call it a Tarte Tatin, or whatever it is, you have to have it look like that, you have to have it BE that. So that means, you're not going to use any ingredients that aren't supposed to be there. So if I say 'this is a Tarte Tatin,' and I put cinnamon in it, then it's an APPLE PIE!"

"I can see it's going to be a struggle. It's not like drawing with a pencil... I want it to look really good..."


Having just started decorating Petits Fours, Peter noted, "I can see it's going to be a struggle. It's not like drawing with a pencil.... I want it to look really good, 'cause I'm very precise in those things. If I keep at it, something will connect. That's how I'm going to get good at it. It's not going just to happen." He sees Petit Fours as something that should "dazzle you," spectacular in flavor, texture, weight, and visual appeal. So he keeps practicing, at school and at home. The FCI's emphasis on hands-on time is a primary reason students become so accomplished so quickly.

Grandson of a labor leader, son of a systems developer and a nurse, "very creative in their own ways," Peter has gone from being a Construction Management major who felt most comfortable in Brooklyn, to a Pastry Arts student intrigued with Japan.

On graduation, Peter's going to look first for a restaurant job where "I will be plating desserts and really getting some of those skills down... I think that would my training after school."

"Long term, he's thinking of opening his own confection shop, something unusual. And he's opening up to possible new adventures. "I've been wanting to go to Japan, actually. I have a lot of friends who are Japanese. Their culture is very interesting to me... I know they have a different palate... and they have a high expectation of things..." Peter Baldino III will be writing his ticket very soon. Most likely, in piping gel.



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