My phone was vibrating next to my head. I had hit its snooze button 3 times already, but this time it was Husband calling from downstairs "you need to be up lady!" I know, I know, I said into my pillow. It was 8:10. Practically still the middle of the night! Nonetheless, I managed to get myself up, showered, and dressed while being only 6 minutes late for my day at Pistacia Vera.
For those of you who aren't familiar, Pistacia Vera is hands down the best bakery of any sort in the city. It is owned by brother and sister Anne Fletcher (who runs the business end and FOH), and pastry chef Spencer Budros, who runs the BOH. Everything is delicious and beautiful. Walking into the space, I have this feeling of exhilaration akin to walking into a candy store as a child. It's hard to make a choice but it's the best kind of difficult decision.
Pistacia Vera is bright, airy, and spacious. The sunshine steams in all day long (well, I imagine it does - today was pretty cloudy) and there is a view of downtown from the kitchen. The kitchen is quiet and clean clean clean.
Entering the store, the FOH manager Kelly greeted me cheerfully and offered me a cup of coffee. Anne caught me up on the new plans for Pistacia Vera (longer hours! espresso!) Spencer fitted me with a chef's coat, and I was on my way.
The first thing I encountered upon entering the kitchen was this lovely mis en place (mis en place, French for "to put in place," is the setup of ingredients, garnishes, and other things needed for cooking and/or baking.):
Like a magical elf, someone had prepared and labeled everything needed to make vanilla macarons; the ingredients were measured, and waiting. I have always kind of wanted to have the job of prep cook. There's something about getting everything ready, setting up a mis en place, labeling it, thinking like the cook - it appeals to the very, very small part of me which is capable of making things neat and organized. This magical elf has such neat handwriting if the Pistacia thing doesn't work out, she could have a future writing the labels for Jeni's Ice Creams (yes, they're done by hand. I've seen it with my own eyes).
Spencer shows me through the kitchen and the walkin cooler and freezer. Everything is remarkably organized, labeled, and tidy (this will be a recurring theme). Items are divided between those which are in progress and those which are built and resting.
Spencer tells me it's a myth that everything should be consumed the second it is baked, and not everything should be baked as soon as it is prepared. Things like to rest. Flavors meld, liquids are absorbed by dry ingredients, and textures are improved. "In order to create a successful dessert," says Spencer, "you have to be able to plan ahead. Mix, rest. Bake, rest. Build, rest. Decorate, rest."
One great thing about the bakery is that each member of the BOH team has their own specialty. Robin, a pastry chef who spent 10 years working with Spencer in Arizona, focuses on the confections - it's possible she has the most scientific of the baking jobs, and the patience to work on things which require constant vigilance. Caitlin makes the tarts and galettes and is a whiz at making flaky and tender crusts (yes, I learned a few tricks which I will share with you). And Sarah makes the laminated dough. That's right. All of the puff pastry and croissant dough are made in house. We discussed if other bakeries are making their own laminated dough in Columbus and only came up with a few possibilities.
I started the day with Spencer - we went through the process of making macaron shells, baked caneles, and tempered chocolate. Next I followed Robin and watched the process of making toffee and pistachio nougat. I watched Spencer temper chocolate - a process which he made look very easy, but we'll see how it goes when I try to do it myself. We tasted a few different single-origin Valrhona chocolates, which convinced me I need to order a few for my next bulk order (it'll be like $12 a pound, but I think it's worth it). I watched Sarah methodically turn 20 sheets of puff pastry into palmiers, and we talked about how seriously the French take these simple pastries (there was a near crisis when they dared at a touch of cinnamon - Cinnamon! Mon Dieu!). I also watched Caitlin making galette dough. She used a very unusual method I had never seen before but will be attempting very soon.
It was interesting to see all the ways a few ingredients can be so endlessly manipulated. Spencer explained that the longer he bakes, the more he learns, and the more he becomes committed to perfecting the classics. He isn't interested in blow-you-out-of-your-pants flavors. Spencer is "a huge fan of subtlety and nuance." It's the little things that make things amazing - the flavor of the butter and the caramelization." Three words that sum up the Pistacia Vera philosophy: Subtlety, Nuance, and above all: Restraint.
Next up, I'll cover some of the techniques I learned.
