When it comes to pastry presentation, the sky’s the limit for this classically trained chef
/Internationally acclaimed pastry chef Christy Tania has a diploma from the renowned École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie – the benchmark school for pastry making professionals – but she says she isn’t bound by classical pastry presentation styles.
“I always stick to the classical flavour profiles – you don’t play around with that; of course you try new combinations but I’m a flavour purist in the sense that what works, works. But in terms of look, the sky’s the limit. The texture, look and build is never cookie cutter for me – I always like to go for something different.”
Over the past seven and half years Christy has built her pastry and dessert business Glacé Melbourne into something of an institution. “We started with ice cream cakes but of course we have evolved from there – ice cream is seasonal so we decided from 2019 onwards to offer pastries and cakes as well.”
“I think any pastry chef, or indeed any chef who decides to open their own business, wants to do so as a creative outlet”
The business has been a labour of love for Christy and the culmination of a long held ambition. “I think any pastry chef, or indeed any chef who decides to open their own business, wants to do so as a creative outlet. But very soon afterwards you realise it’s not that simple - creating a product is only one aspect of a business; if it was as simple as you create a product, open the shop and then people come, there would be a lot more hospitality businesses nowadays!
“We now operate the business across two pillars – we have the retail side which is business to consumer, and we also have a business to business wholesale line which is thriving. On the b2b side we are supplying everything from ice cream to petit fours and petite gateaux, and I’m now also running masterclasses and will soon be releasing a book. It’s predominantly recipes but I’ve also written about my journey from a pastry student up to now and the creative process involved in coming up with new concepts. I’ve tried to create a book which would speak to myself as I was back when I started – so something practical, but at the same time aspirational.”
The b2b side of the business began during Covid – “obviously like everyone else, we needed to pivot, and we realised that other foodservice businesses were losing staff and that when the doors opened up post-lockdown there would be demand for product without the inhouse expertise to provide it. That’s when I started reaching out to hotels, restaurants and function venues. We now supply to Melbourne Park, the MCG, Marvel Stadium, O’Brien Group and some restaurants and hotels as well.”
While the unique presentation styles of Christy’s pastries attracted foodservice businesses from the outset, she found she had to make some adjustments to meet required pricepoints.
“I was trained to produce premium products, but what we found is that businesses require a more affordable option. So I have developed products which might have two key components instead of five. What we do is provide a range which is readymade and delivered frozen with all the mise en place already done. All you have to do is pick it up and put it on a plate.
“We provide a range which is readymade and delivered frozen with all the mise en place already done”
“So the customer will order two weeks’ worth of stock and there’s no wastage whatsoever so it’s a win-win for everyone. I have the skill and knowledge to make this happen and they can reduce their cost and cut out any wastage. I do everything from consulting to menu building to the actual production and delivery to their doorstep.
“We’ve had customers who’ve said, here’s our goblet, we want you to put a tiramisu in it, and that’s what we’ve done – it’s highly customised and that’s what people like. We have the people, the production capacity and the storage space, and I have the knowledge, so I’m hoping we can grow this side of the business much bigger.”
Christy makes the point that demand for high quality pastries and desserts in Australia is still very much behind that of Europe. “Only a few restaurants can afford to be experimental in pushing the envelope with desserts. In Europe you might have a croissant in the morning and something sweet mid-afternoon, and if you go to someone’s house for a party or a dinner you know there will be cake.
“But over here it’s almost as if we feel guilty for wanting it, because it tastes good, and we seem to have the mentality that it can’t be too flavoursome because that’s an indulgence. SO I find I have to restrain my presentation accordingly. I do find it odd that people here won’t spend $15 on a cake if it looks too good to eat, but they’re happy to spend $15 on an ice shake as it seems less indulgent to them. Which is why I like the b2b side of the operation because it’s business-minded.”
“What many people also don’t realise is that chocolate is like wine grapes, it has different flavour notes depending upon the cocoa’s terroir”
Key to the production of premium pastries is to use the best ingredients, and while Christy uses locally produced cream, butter, eggs and sugar, she says some ingredients need to be sourced from overseas. “For example I’m an ambassador for Boiron frozen fruit purees, which I use because we don’t produce a comparable product here. I use Cuveé Chocolate which is an amazing local product, but I also use chocolate from France and Belgium and that comes down to cost-effectiveness generated by economies of scale.
“What many people also don’t realise is that chocolate is like wine grapes, it has different flavour notes depending upon the cocoa’s terroir. Cuveé Chocolate sources single origin cocoa beans from ghana, which is the same region that my French and Belgian suppliers source theirs from. There are also differences in the fermentation process which impact on flavour and texture.”
“A lot of foodservice businesses want to be able to serve quality plated desserts”
Christy’s petit fours selections are among the most popular of her b2b range. “We have nine different types ranging from tarts to bars and bite-sized balls – they’re designed to serve as a canapes tray at functions, or as an after-mains selection for restaurants. I’m also designing plated desserts – we have a menu which we launch every season with five different selections and we also tweak for different customers. We’ve found a lot of foodservice businesses want to be able to serve quality plated desserts but don’t have the capacity to produce them for themselves, or even think about them.”
Christy strives to be flexible not only in her approach but in terms of what she provides to foodservice. “As long as customers can commit, I’m happy to create something especially for them – and who doesn’t want to be able to offer a bespoke creation that comes to you all packed up in a box and ready to plate? I’m also happy to be involved in consultancy, menu planning and production. Right now the foodservice business is pretty hard for everybody, but if you can impress your customers with quality products that can help make your business life easier.”
