THE SWEETEST DAY OF THE YEAR
PastryScoop.com's Fall 2008 Conference

	Zak Young's Fried Peanut Butter-Banana Cake

New York, NY. October 12, 2008 — It was another delicious day of desserts at Pastryscoop.com's Fall 2008 Conference at The French Culinary Institute. PastryScoop.comgathered 14 of the city's top pastry chefs, bakers, and chocolatiers to host a dozen workshops and share some of their sweet secrets to an audience of baking enthusiasts and pastry professionals.

Workshops spanned a variety of topics: humble pie, high tech, and everything in between. Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, the owners of the hip Red Hook bakery, Baked, entertained the nearly sold-out theater with advice on starting a successful bakery and with recipes from their new book, Baked! New Frontiers in Baking. Alex Grunert of Blue Hill at Stone Barns brought fresh ingredients from the farm and wowed the crowd with artful desserts from his seasonal menu. Zac Young of Butter deep-fried decadent banana cake filled with ice cream and showed off his signature beignets. Waldemar Albrecht from Artisanal Premium Cheese composed a tasty cheese course complete with wine, and Betty Yip of Batch baked up sugary treats from the popular West Village bakery. Pie made its way into the spotlight thanks to Jennifer McCoy of Forge, who earned rave reviews for her spin on traditional apple pie. Chocolatier extraordinaire Kee Ling Tong demonstrated from start to finish the art of bonbons as done at her SoHo shop. Victoria Love of the Water Club gave a cookie-decorating intensive with hands-on instruction, and Christopher Ciresi from The FCI delighted attendees with a demonstration on the wonders of puff pastry and the playful history of many classic French pastries. Our favorite breakfast cereals were turned into haute desserts by Mesa Grill and Bar Americain pastry chef Vicki Wells. Ever the entertainer, Martin Howard of Brasserie 8 ½ created an entire party's worth of pastry and cocktails. To round out the day, the dynamic duo of high-tech cuisine, The FCI’s Dave Arnold and Nils Nor én took a basic ice cream recipe, worked their magic, and presented an array of inventive frozen treats.

The attendees feasted on tastings provided by chefs and enjoyed refreshment breaks with sweet and savory snacks courtesy of FCI students and Pr ésident Cheese. Guests left energized with sugar, along with a handful of professional recipes and a goodie bag full of treats from the event sponsors.

Featured chefs and their topics included:

• Betty Yip of Batch Bakery in Baked by Batch
• Christopher Ciresi of The French Culinary Institute in Puff the Magic Pastry
• Jennifer McCoy of Forge in Easy as Pie
• Vicki Wells of Mesa Grill and Bar Americain in Desserts with Snap, Crackle, and Pop!
• Waldemar Albrecht of Artisanal Premium Cheese Center in The Cheese Course
• Alex Grunert of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Desserts from the Farm
• Martin Howard of Brasserie 8 ½ in Soiree Sweets
• Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito of Baked in Building a Bakery
• Victoria Love of the Water Club in Hands-On Cookie Decorating
• Kee Ling Tong of Kee’s Chocolates in Kee 's Chocolates
• Zac Young of Butter Restaurant in Deep-Fried Delights
• Nils Norén and Dave Arnold of The French Culinary Institute in More High-Tech Desserts!

View more images on our Flickr photostream.

To request high resolution photos, email info@pastryscoop.com.

Chocolatier Kee Ling Tong of Kee's Chocolates		Pastry chef Zac Young of Butter		Pastry chef Jennifer McCoy of Forge
Renato Poliafito and Matt Lewis of Baked   Pastry chef Alex Grunert of Blue Hill at Stone Barns with PastryScoop's Alina Martell
FCI pastry chef-instructor Christopher Ciresi and pastry chef Vicki Wells of Bolo and Bar Americain		Waldemar Albrecht of Artisanal Premium Cheese Center		Pastry chef Martin Howard of Brasserie 8½ with Judiaann Woo
Decorating tips with pastry chef Victoria Love of The Water Club   Happy attendees
Pastry chef Betty Yip of Batch    The FCI’s Dave Arnold (left) and Nils Noren (right)

PastryScoop.com would like to express appreciation to all who have provided support for the Fall 2007 Conference.

EVENT SPONSORS

Special Thanks To

illy caffé North America, iSi North America, Everyday Food and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Pastry & Baking North America, HALL Wines, and The FCI's Pastry Arts and Art of International Bread Baking Departments, students, and staff volunteers.

ABOUT PASTRYSCOOP.COM

Founded in 2004 by The French Culinary Institute, PastryScoop.com is a free online resource dedicated to supporting and celebrating the pastry arts through a dynamic, information-packed website, as well as dozens of online and offline events—from conferences and competitions to chef demonstrations and online chats with the hottest tastemakers around the country. PastryScoop.com reports on dessert trends, innovations, tips, and techniques, with comprehensive listings of resources, ingredients, and conversions. Our mission is to inspire, educate, and bring increased awareness and appreciation for the pastry arts and to promote creativity and community within the field.

ABOUT THE FRENCH CULINARY INSTITUTE

The French Culinary Institute, located at The International Culinary Center in New York City, teaches the protocol, language, and techniques upon which all Western cuisine is based. The FCI offers a rigorous six-month program by day and nine-month program by night for those who seek quality, intensive culinary and pastry arts education in a condensed period of time. The school also offers a career track in bread baking. Its extensive roster of Advanced Studies programming for those of all skill levels covers a wide array of disciplines including food writing, wine and beer studies, restaurant management, and culinary technology. The FCI's time-tested hands-on Total Immersion^SM method of instruction taught by the industry's best informs all of its curricula, including its intensive consumer courses designed for serious amateurs. In 2007, The Italian Culinary Academy, sister school to The FCI, opened its doors. Both are located at 462 Broadway, New York, NY, 10013.

PRESS CONTACT

Judiaann Woo, (646) 254-8543, jwoo@pastryscoop.com