CULINARY SERIES: INDULGENT INSIGHTS FROM PASTRY CHEF RACHEL SEARL

March 28, 2023

With over 15 years of multifaceted integration into the food and beverage industry, we live and breathe food. And we continuously look for unique perspectives and new ways to help drive culinary-forward ideas and bring proven, practical solutions to our clients. With our strong strategic team of culinary specialists — from a Hell’s Kitchen’s fan-favorite to a tenured pastry chef and talented baristas and mixologists — we offer a broadening range of expertise and experience along with industry-driven insights that help guide our strategic approach to menu concepting and recipe development.

Our latest blog in our ‘Culinary Series’, Get To Know Chef Adam Pawlak, featured our own award-winning chef partner and Executive Culinary Strategist Chef Adam Pawlak. Chef Adam brings nationwide recognition and endless creativity to our team as he continues to evolve his culinary craft while enjoying his hard-earned success as an owner of two popular restaurants in Milwaukee’s dining scene.

Today’s blog further expands our reach within the culinary landscape with the guidance of our partner and experienced Executive Pastry Chef Rachel Searl. Chef Rachel comes with over a decade of professional baking experience. She has served in many different roles at some of the top bakeries and restaurant groups in Wisconsin including being the former head pastry chef at Shully’s Cuisine and Events, executive pastry chef at the SURG Restaurant Group, and the former pastry chef at both Il Ritrovo Pizza and Field to Fork Café. She also spreads her baking aptitude as a Smile Maker at The Cupcake-A-Rhee.

As a new mom, Chef Rachel balances her love of baking and creating indulgent masterpieces with her busy and fulfilling home life. With her pastry chef lens on, Rachel offers extensive knowledge of the baking industry along with bringing her confectionary creativity to our agency and our client partners’ culinary-driven strategies.

In between managing her work-life roles, Pastry Chef Rachel and I were able to connect for a fun, enlightening conversation on what inspires her appetite for baking.

Q: Where do you look for inspiration when ideating new recipes?

Chef Rachel: “Most often I will turn to a tried-and-true recipe I’ve used as a starting point and alter the formula in one way or another to get the results I’m desiring. Then, I add some seasonal flavors to change up the overall compilation of the dessert or add a special component that brings in a fun flavor, color, or texture that might be missing to really make it pop. Sometimes, depending on the context, the customer will tell me what they’re objectives are for a new dessert recipe or menu item, and it’s then my job to bring their ideas and flavors to life which can be a fun challenge.”

As for external influencers, Chef Rachel explores both chef-owned and consumer-focused Instagram reels for inspiration. Seeing the talent and amazing desserts others are creating helps drive her creative passion. She also keeps a handful of her favorite pastry books within reach to refer to for motivation. Discovering new techniques and tips from her professional peers helps her craft grow stronger. Baking is an art and aesthetics can be just almost as important as taste.

Q: What is the signature dish you love creating?

Chef Rachel: “Cinnamon rolls made from scratch are by far my all-time favorite thing to make for myself and for others. There is no other cinnamon roll that can compete with one made from scratch and served fresh out of the oven. Nothing! I absolutely love every step in preparation from start to finish – the dough, the smell, the ooey gooey cinnamon filling, the cream cheese frosting. Yum! All the ingredients come together to create a perfectly simple yet delicious masterpiece in your mouth. Friends and family love them as much as I do.”

Q: How do you describe your overall baking philosophy?

Chef Rachel: “Today, I find myself focused more on simplicity, quality ingredients, and getting back to the basics that made me fall in love with baking in the first place. I believe in using fresh, locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, whether I’m baking in a professional kitchen or baking at home making cakes or cookies with my daughter. I’m so thankful I get to be the one to teach her how to bake, use proper baking techniques, and how to measure and work with ingredients. It’s pretty amazing watching her learn beside me. With where I am in life right now, creating, sharing, and spreading joy is my focus in everything I do while I’m baking, and most of those moments are spent side by side with my daughter watching her eyes light up as well. It truly is a gift.”

Q: Any trends this year that you’re excited about and why?

Chef Rachel: “I am very interested to see if this is finally the year that dairy-free / vegan chocolate will become more mainstream, and we’ll have a greater selection of approachable, flavorful options on the market. My hope is to be able to unleash my creativity and incorporate dairy-free chocolate in my recipes moving forward. From wedding cakes to indulgent desserts and rich breakfast bakery, the possibilities are delectably endless. I look forward to indulging my curiosities both professionally and personally.”

 

                        

Visit our blog often to see what Pastry Chef Rachel and our team of culinary professionals have cooking. For more ideas and culinary reinforcement, be sure to check out our blog, Where Chefs Find Inspiration. And for guidance on developing recipes and new menu concepts, conducting culinary brainstorming sessions, or building impactful presentation decks, we’re here for you.

All dessert and bakery images shown in this post were prepared and photographed by Chef Rachel. Yum!

 

 

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