bake - January/February 2023 - 43

pastries
Ready to SHINE
Acclaimed chef Diane Moua, who has been executive pastry
chef for Bellecour Bakery at Cooks of Crocus Hill, plans to pursue
her dream of opening her first restaurant. Known for her
exquisite desserts and elevated pastries, Moua is one of Minnesota's
most prominent pastry chefs.
The new bakery and café will showcase Moua's Hmong heritage,
featuring her French-inspired baked goods, and her refined
techniques with savory foods.
Moua has earned five James Beard nominations and is the
only Minnesota chef twice named as nationally recognized
Outstanding Pastry Chef finalist. She was executive pastry chef
of Spoon and Stable, and Bellecour in Wayzata.
In her role of executive pastry chef of Soigné Hospitality
Group she managed the pastry department for the group's restaurants
Spoon and Stable, Bellecour, and Demi. In 2020 she
became executive pastry chef for Bellecour Bakery at Cooks
of Crocus Hill.
The Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef was pastry chef at other
notable restaurants including, La Belle Vie, Solera, and Aquavit.
She also works with restaurants as a consultant developing
dessert menus, writing recipes, and recruiting and training
pastry chefs.
TOP SPOTS FOR PASTRIES
Consultant Lawn Love measured up
200 of the biggest U.S. cities, looking
for plenty of access to highly rated
bakeries and patisseries. The group
also considered bakers awarded by
the James Beard Foundation and
patisseries recognized by Mashed for
having " The Absolute Best Pastries In
The US, " among nine total metrics.
Here are the top 10:
San Francisco
New York City
Chicago
Seattle
Los Angeles
Portland, Oregon
Minneapolis
Miami
Philadelphia
Charleston, South Carolina
San Francisco, is a pastry lover's
paradise. The Golden City has the
most patisseries and coffee shops per
square mile in our ranking. There are
also award-winning pastry chefs serving
up delicious croissants and other
baked goods across the city.
Other big cities puffed up to the
top, including New York (No. 2) and
Chicago (No. 3), which tied for first
place in patisseries recognized in
" best pastry " lists. NYC has the most
James Beard Award-winning pastry
chefs, with Chicago a close second.
Sweet stand(outs): A few mid-sized
cities rose in the ranks, landing in
our top 20 and " proofing " they have
what it takes to please pastry lovers.
Charleston, South Carolina (No. 10),
Boise, Idaho (No. 15), and Bridgeport,
Connecticut (No. 18), all tied for No.
1 in share of highly rated patisseries.
Charleston takes sixth place in
quality.
For four consecutive years, Sub
Rosa Bakery in Richmond, Virginia
(No. 16), was a semifinalist for the
James Beard Award's " Outstanding
Baker " category. That's not the only
spot RVA has to offer for a sweet treat
- the city has great access on top of
high pastry popularity.
bakemag.com | JAN - FEB 2023 > 43
DIANE MOUA
http://www.bakemag.com
bake - January/February 2023

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