Sweet Pastry Chefs

November 24, 2018

Mango Cardamom Vacherin by Saeko Nemoto, Boulud Sud (Photo: Evan Sung)

In South Florida, the realm of creative sweets belongs to many talented young women. Some were inspired by mentor Hedy Goldsmith, who became one of Miami's beloved pastry chefs when she brought her reinvented comfort food classics to Michael's Genuine before leaving for Los Angeles. She's returning to South Florida and the 50 Eggs group.

These are among some of the best pastry chefs in town.

Devin Braddock

Mignonette, Miami
A native of Tampa, Braddock, 27, went to Johnson and Wales for a year before working for Michael’s Genuine, Alter and now Mignonette, where she is corporate executive pastry chef. This puts her in charge of desserts at Mignonette, Blue Collar, a pop-up called Tricycle and “any other future restaurants,” she says coyly. The latest venture, Tricycle, is a pop-up bike with reimagined versions of childhood ice cream treats like Drumsticks and Choco Tacos, made by hand using quality ingredients like Valrhona chocolate, European butter, handmade cones and sprinkles. Find it at Boxelder in Wynwood.

Soraya Caraccioli-Kilgore

Mad Lab Creamery, Design District
Born in Honduras, Caraccioli-Kilgore, 32, earned a culinary degree from Johnson and Wales in Denver. After time in Chicago, she moved to Miami and worked at Laurent Tourondel’s BLT at The Betsy, the Raleigh, Setai and 1826. She was pastry chef at Alter and Brava, working with husband Brad Kilgore, until opening Mad Lab Creamery in Jan. 2018. “I got to do something I know and like,” she says of her whimsical pink shop. Those dishes include chocolate bark made with fair-trade chocolate from República del Cacao, fluffy Japanese cheesecake and soft-serve ice cream in tropical flavors, plus glitzy add-ons like gold leaf and cotton candy. Coming soon: egg-free regular ice cream.

Cap'n Crunch Ice Cream with homemade crunchberry sprinkles

Soraya Kilgore, right, with ice cream cone topped with cotton candy

Photo 1: Devin Braddock of Mignonette and Tricycle

Photo 2: Tricycle's Cap'n Crunch Ice Cream with homemade crunchberry sprinkles

Photo 3: Soraya Kilgore, right, with ice cream cone topped with cotton candy

Saeko Nemoto

Boulud Sud, Downtown Miami
As executive pastry chef at Daniel Boulud’s Mediterranean-inspired restaurant at the JW Marriott Marquis, Saeko Nemoto combines her background in traditional French patisserie with seasonal fruits to create textural surprises, like Grapefruit Givre, with sesame foam, Turkish cotton candy and grapefruit sorbet. Having worked in kitchens in seven different countries, she says she has found opportunities for women to be more equal in the U.S., Canada and Australia. When she first started working in kitchens in Japan, women cooks were expected to make tea or fetch coffee for make cooks, she recalls. “Here, everyone makes their own coffee – I like American coffee with soy milk.”

Karina Rivera

Bachour Bakery, Coral Gables
For five years, Rivera, 30, has been working alongside pastry icon Antonio Bachour. The Mexico City native started as an intern with him at the St. Regis Bal Harbour, which turned into a regular job. She was named pastry chef at Bachour Bistro for a year and half until it changed hands. She has traveled with Bachour to destinations around the world, including Bangkok, Bangalore, Jakarta, the Philippines, and Qatar, where they made desserts for the royal family. Today, she’s working on opening Bachour Bakery at 2020 Salzedo in Coral Gables, a showcase for exquisite pastries like strawberries and cream macarons, expected to open before the end of the year. She also formed Women Chefs 305 (see story, left) as a support group: “We have a lot of responsibility,” she says. “We need to make change happen.”

Photo 1: Saeko Nemoto of Boulud Sud

Photo 2: Grapefruit GIvre at Boulud Sud

Photo 3: Karina Rivera of Bachour Bakery

Photo 4: Strawberry macarons (Bachour Bakery)

Mame Sow

Three, Wynwood
Born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, Sow moved to New York City when she was 11, got a scholarship to the International Culinary Center, started working in restaurants there, including the Townhouse Restaurant Group (Aquavit, Riingo and Merkato 55) and David Burke at Bloomingdales. As pastry chef at Norman Van Aken’s Three, she calls “this environment is one I’m comfortable in.” She’s been inspired by Michelle Bernstein “by what she means to the local community, as well as the female chef community as a whole.” Pictured is The Congo, made from multiple chocolates.

Dallas Wynne

Stubborn Seed, South Beach
Wynne, 24, started on the savory side and made the transition to pastry four years ago. In Miami, she started at Michael’s Genuine and Harry’s Pizzeria and worked with Hedy Goldsmith. Wynne took a job in catering, moved to Ariete in Coconut Grove as executive pastry chef, and then headed to Stubborn Seed, where she’s made fans of her strawberry doughnuts with passionfruit sabayon, and her snickerdoodle cookies, made with brown butter, Valrhona chocolate and cinnamon. “A lot of us young women are fighting our way up” earning experience. “We’ll be in in the next few years.”