Treasured: Pastry Chef Angela Pinkerton's Secret Weapons

By Food & Wine
Updated June 16, 2016
Credit: Photo © Melanie Dunea/CPi/My Last Supper
My Last Supper photographer Melanie Dunea peeks into the minds of working chefs and uncovers their most prized possessions.
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Interview and Photos by Melanie Dunea / CPi / My Last Supper

Credit: Photo © Melanie Dunea/CPi/My Last Supper

Angela Pinkerton, Pastry Chef at Eleven Madison Park: "My staff, all 15 of them, are my most treasured items. Without them none of this would be possible. They're my little workhorses. They deserve some credit and I thought this was the chance to thank them for that."

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Credit: Photo © Melanie Dunea/CPi/My Last Supper

"Part of our mentality in this team is to finish strong, whether you're here in the morning or evening, or however long your hours are. If someone comes in for dessert in the morning or if they are the last seat at the table that day, it still needs to look just as beautiful. You always want to be on top of your game and finish strong."

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Credit: Photo © Melanie Dunea/CPi/My Last Supper

"There are a lot of women who have gone into pastry in general. As pastry cooks I see a lot of women, but as pastry chefs, I see more men. I could be wrong about that, but in fine dining there are definitely a lot more men than women. Here at Eleven Madison Park, we usually go 50/50, but right now it's roughly three men to 10 women."

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Credit: Photo © Melanie Dunea/CPi/My Last Supper

"That's what we do here at EMP with our dishes: We play on history and aim to use products that were made in New York. It's kind of our identity. The baked Alaska is the latest addition to our menu. We flambé it tableside, which is pretty fun. The baked Alaska was coined at Delmonico's in celebration of the purchasing of Alaska, so it's kind of a historical dessert. It's also a big part of New York."

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Credit: Photo © Melanie Dunea/CPi/My Last Supper

"When it's time to work, it's time to work and I'm very serious about that."

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