The pâtisserie is part of a noble culinary tradition, especially in Europe. Its elegance conjures immediate visions of a little shop on avenue des Champs Elysées.
You pull on the doorknob and a wave of enticing aromas greet you. Your mouth waters. The cases are loaded with sweets. Ah. You are a child again.
You let the moment sit. And then you compose yourself just enough to examine the cases and make a selection.
The word and its variants evoke elegance. A pâtissier, or “pä-tis-ˈyā,” is a pastry chef. A pâtisserie, or “pə-ˈti-sə-rē,” is a pastry shop. It dates to the late 1500s, from the Middle French for “pasticier,” or “to make pastry.”
In France and Belgium, only bakeries that employ a highly-trained maître pâtissier, or master pastry chef, may be called a pâtisserie. But the word is used worldwide to refer to a pastry shop.
A Quick Tour of Desserts Found in a Traditional Pâtisserie:
Some are well-known, such as croissant and éclair. Other popular delicacies in the case often include:
- Confection or fruit-filled bread like brioche.
- Classic cookies such as palmiers, madeleines, and macarons.
- Entremets, which are not made of dough. Examples include crème brûlée and flan.
- Cakes like mille-feuille, also known as the “Napolean,” with crème and icing.
- Viennoiseries, made of dough and yeast. Think croissant and pain au chocolat.
The fine tradition of the pâtisserie lives on at Bravo Fine Catering. Our kitchens create a lot of wonderful flavors, from appetizers to soups to food stations. But our staff agrees that desserts are the best. Especially when you see the facial expressions of diners when the sweets roll out.
Bravo Fine Catering is honored to have a highly-trained pâtissier on staff. And it all started in childhood for Lena Davis. As a young girl, she watched her appropriately-named Grandma Butters make wedding cakes and other sweets to sell to people in the neighborhood.
The baking fire was kindled early for Lena and gave rise to a storied career crafting desserts. She owned a bakery and worked for Five Star restaurants in Aspen. Today, she is Bravo Fine Catering’s Chief Pâtissier, overseeing our cakes and pastries catering services.
Fresh From Bravo’s Kitchen: Sweets, Confections, Wedding Cakes and More
Lena calls on her experience and the pâtisserie tradition to craft signature desserts, sweets, and confections. Tantalizing delicacies such as:
- Fresh fruit tarts
- Crème brûlée
- Cheesecakes
- Gelato and sorbetto
- Wedding cakes (gluten or gluten-free)
- Special occasion cakes (gluten or GF)
Lena loves working with clients to choose the right dessert course.
“I want to give them a memory of something happy,” she says.
Some clients choose items from the menu based on her descriptions and a photograph. Sometimes she’s asked to recreate a favorite item that isn’t on the menu. In any case, suggestions from foodies are welcome.
“We’ll find a way to make it happen,” says Lena. “We haven’t had any culinary curveballs yet, but we’re always prepared.”