Trademark Hotel Head Pastry Chef Catherine Kariuki Discusses the Pastry Industry in Nairobi

There was a time when most Kenyans knew pastries as a cake that was brown, compact and spongy or mandazi. Now pastry chefs have upped their game, making from pies, tarts, quiches, to croissants, with bold flavors. From sugar-free to gluten-free and even dairy-free, dessert is no longer only perceived as an unhealthy indulgence that sweet teeth enjoy.

Executive Chef Catherine Kariuki has 12 years’ experience as a pastry chef, working in South Africa and Dubai. The head pastry chef at Trademark Hotel in Nairobi also manages the Tribe Hotel’s pastry kitchen and this is her first time working in Kenya, a role she has held for two years now.

“Various aspects have attributed to the growth of the pastry industry in Nairobi,” she says. “Media, is one of them and especially now with social media, people get to see what other chefs in faraway destinations are doing,” she says.

“At Trademark, we use ingredients such as isomalt sugar, which is imported. We use in the finishing stage in cakes as opposed to using cream,” Catherine says.

The sugar is first boiled and different colors can be added onto it. It is then laid on cakes for a clean bright finish. Sprayed chocolate which essentially is cocoa butter sourced from Europe is also used at Chef Catherine’s pastry kitchen. When it comes to creative shapes and designs she shared that they use high-tech molds sourced from Italy which come in different shapes and sizes and result in unique shapes of cakes and pastries. “On our red velvet cake, we spray a mix of the cocoa butter and white chocolate finishing to give it the velvety look,” she says.

For pastries, Catherine attributes their popularity to a method she uses. She spreads the flavors such as pistachio paste on the sheets then she folds the puff pastry and cuts it into patterns. “This ensures that the flavors are not only on the outer parts of the pastries but inside as well,” she says, adding that Kenyans cannot be classified as sweet tooth yet and the dessert space is still growing.

Source: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/lifestyle/food/A-new-love-for-pastries

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