My Friend the Chocolate Cake
by Judi Sandall
judi.sandall@chefschoolreview.com
Chef School Review Columnist
I think that most pastry chefs would agree that chocolate cake is their friend and I would like chocolate cake to be my friend, too. It seems, however, that somehow it has become my mortal enemy with the advent of a never-ending diet.
Chocolate cake is still very much a friend, however, to classically trained pastry chefs Galen and David Chesarek. They design and bake exquisitely beautiful and stylishly tasty wedding and specialty cakes at their San Francisco-based business, My Friend the Chocolate Cake. Named after a band from Down Under, their cake design studio flourishes to rave reviews coast to coast—from The New York Times to the San Francisco Chronicle—while WeddingChannel.com displays pictures of their dreamy confections online.
Culinary School & Training
Both Galen and David graduated from culinary school—Galen in San Francisco and David in New York. Galen, who has worked as a pastry chef at Zibibbo in Palo Alto and at San Francisco’s Fog City Diner and West Coast grill Roti, currently directs the pastry department at the Acme Chophouse, adjacent to the San Francisco Giants’ stadium.
David received his pastry chef training at Montrachet and Symphony Café in NYC, and at the Hotel St. Gotthard in Zurich before arriving on the San Francisco restaurant scene as pastry chef for Bix, Rose Pistola, The Black Cat, and Le Colonial. He also pursued additional pastry chef training in Lucerne, Switzerland and in Northern California’s wine country.
Accolades for the Pastry Chefs
Accolades for the Chesarek pastry chefs abound. Frank Bruni, New York Times food critic credits them with making “a caramel tart that’s an unmitigated slice of heaven (or, if you are a dieter, hell).” And Julie Parker, Catering and Event Coordinator for Hotel Rex in San Francisco says, “David and Galen… are now my preferred cake designers, and I do not hesitate to recommend them to ANYONE I know!”
The Road to Culinary Success
Galen and David are living their dream—owners of a successful pastry business, doing what they love in the sparkling City by the Bay. Their road to culinary success includes education and training as well as the drive and hard work to make their dream happen. Begin your own career journey by enrolling in culinary school and you may find yourself in the fast lane to culinary success.
Sources
WeddingChannel.com
My Friend the Chocolate Cake
About the Author
Judi Sandall is a technical writer and a regular Chef School Review columnist. She is a graduate of the State University of New York, with a BA in English Literature.
Posted on January 5, 2007 at 3:13 PM
Earlier: Irate Cornish Pastry Chefs
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