| July 31, 2010 05:07 AM | ||||||||||||||||
| We here at PastryScoop.com know how difficult it can be for pastry chefs to find time to get out of their kitchens to meet their fellow colleagues and for the public to meet the creators of their favorite desserts. Consider THE DISH your introduction to some of the best and finest pastry talents out there. We'll chat with a new chef each month and ask them a series of questions for a peek into what makes them tick. | ||||||||||||||||
THE DISH Elisabeth M. Prueitt, pastry chef/co-owner, and Chad Robertson, baker/co-owner, Tartine Bakery, San Francisco, California My hometown is... EP: Brooklyn. CR: West Texas. We met in 1990 at the CIA. We were assigned, alphabetically, as partners. The arrangement got us dating and eventually married. I get inspired by... EP: our neighborhood. We're located in the Mission District which is full of great Latin American influences. I'm making a tres leche cake and putting my own spin on it right now. CR: people who still make things by hand. My grandfather still makes cowboy boots and saddles by hand and there's a wonderful ceramicist in the Berkshires named Michael Marcus who I admire. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I became a bread baker. Working with my hands lets me focus on nature. I'm not trying to control it; I just want to serve as a catalyst. I get inspired by other chefs too. Chris Bianco, who makes the most amazing pizzas in Phoenix, is one of them. I get inspired by his passion. My favorite dessert on my menu right now is... EP: Blancmange. It's a very old-school almond custard similar to a panna cotta. We serve it at the restaurant wine bar with quince poached in Gewürztraminer wine and huckleberries. My favorite non-food indulgence is... EP: traveling with Chad. We're finally at a point in our careers where we can leave and feel that the bakery is in good hands with people we can trust. I have to admit that the worry never goes away but at least I know everything will be fine. CR: I recently took up surfing. In fact, I rearranged my work schedule so I can surf. I like the solitude away from all the people and it's good exercise too. When I was a kid, I wanted to be... EP: I remember writing cookbooks when I was little. I must have been about six or so. My parents were both frustrated cooks and they entertained a lot. After studying photojournalism at the School of Visual Arts, I found myself cooking between photography jobs which eventually led me to San Francisco. I still enjoy taking photos and I did all the food styling for this book. CR: an architect, but I went to cooking school so that I could travel and work anywhere in the world. I'm still very interested in how structures get built and I'm always noticing the latest ones going up around me.
The soundtrack of my life would include... EP: I prefer the sounds of nature... nighttime crickets, the sound of rain, a crackling fire. If I could listen to these sounds all day, I'd feel a lot calmer.
CR: jazz pianist Bill Evans for the same reasons why I like to making bread. His music is very meditative, rhythmic, and comprised of many steps that take time. If I could get away from the kitchen for a month, I'd spend the time... EP: with Chad on a sailboat traveling the far corners of the Mediterranean, eating lovely food along the way. CR: as far away from San Francisco as possible [laughs]... some place I won't immediately consider, like Chile. If I could combine surfing and sailing that would be perfect.
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