A little about me

Hello everyone,

I would like to take this moment to introduce myself.  My name is Dwayne and I'm a 27 year old pastry chef for a wonderful restaurant group here in Oxford, MS.  I attended the New England Culinary Institute (NECI)where I obtained a AOS in Baking and Pastry.  After completing my time at NECI I took off to live and work in Las Vegas, NV.  While there I worked in a couple of the big casinos and hotels on the strip.  I was given the opportunity to work in some exceptional kitchens and for some talented pastry chefs.  After a while of working in such a demanding city and high volume restaurants I realized that I needed to not only live to work but I also wanted a better quality of life.  Therefore, when to opportunity came about I took the current position that I have now and I am forever grateful for it!  My time here thus far has been absolutely amazing and for the first time I feel free to create the food that I love. 

However, being here has also made me feel a little apart from the ever changing world of baking and pastry and the brilliant minds that we call Pastry Chefs, which brings me to the purpose of this blog. 

I had a wonderful time at NECI and the one thing that I loved the most was being surrounded by people who shared my same desire and passion for pastries.  I remember the many nights were my classmates and myself would sit around discussing and debating which flavors paired best together, or discussing new techniques that were out there to try, or even what new toys and equipment we would love to have.  I never forget the excitement when I got my new professional kitchen aid in culinary school and we would just bake outside of class just to have an excuse to play with it.  While online today I came across one of my friends blog page and realized that he had started his own business and was creating cakes to rival some of the best cake decorators around and I had NO IDEA!  I realized that another one of my classmates has taken off with her own cake business and she is doing amazing things...once again.. I had NO IDEA!  I notice techniques that they were using some simple, and some very complicated and I realized just how out of touch we have become and just how out of touch with things I have become.  It made me realize that I'm in a place where my profession is rare and it is up to me to put myself out there and it's up to us as a profession to stay in touch and keep pushing each other to be better and to strive for excellence! 

Therefore, I created this space to be able to share with the you what are some of the things that a Pastry Chef goes through and show the creations that can be made with food.  All while getting the opinions and thoughts of you, the reader, so that we can interact in order for me to stay in touch with the great world of pastry and the people who just love baking!  I also plan on letting you into my head so that you can see and hopefully feel what I go through on daily basis as a Pastry Chef here in the South.  A place where food is more than just a substance for nurturing oneself but also a way of life. 

So, I hope you enjoy reading and I look forward to your comments and hopefully this will be a place for creation and reflection and it inspires all who read.  So, until next time....


A Southern Pastry Chef