14 August 1-7, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Sweet Gig Meet the pastry chef behind Miami’s hottest desserts. BY RACHEL COSTA W hen Tiffany Pascua was just a young girl, she would watch Food Net- work shows and make lists of all the ingredients she needed to re-create her favorite dishes. After school, she would come home to her fa- ther who would already have all the ingredi- ents that the recipes required lined up for her to cook and bake with. Little did she know then, that when she’d turn 32 years old, her impressive career would land her one of her greatest culinary roles yet: corporate pastry chef at Miami’s famed Groot Hospitality. These days, instead of recreating her Food Network favorites for her family, she’s the mastermind behind some of Miami’s most elaborate desserts, in- cluding one made for artist Bad Bunny at Gekko. Oh, and has even crafted desserts for Michelle Obama for her 50th birthday cele- bration in Hawaii hosted by Oprah Winfrey on Winfrey’s property. So, how did she get here? Her story begins humbly in Los Angeles. Born and raised in California of Philippine descent, her family’s unwavering support sparked her passion for cooking. “I’m Filipino and come from a very tight-knit family,” she tells New Times. “We would have family parties every week. I formed a habit of watching Food Network and then reproducing whatever I saw on there. After school, I’d spend hours, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., just baking in the kitchen and would bring whatever I produced to my fam- ily parties. Perfecting those recipes became something I was passionate about, and I loved how it brought people together. I loved the impact it had on my family, hearing the ‘Oohs and ahs,’ and then eating it myself.’” Although Pascua knew she had found her passion, she was still unsure if she should jump right into the pastry chef path. Therefore, when the time came to decide what to do in life, she enrolled in pharmacy school instead. She tells New Times that it lasted about one day. “I called my father right after the first day of class and he was so supportive,” she recalls. “He just said ‘OK, meet me at Le Cordon Bleu.’ At that time it was in Pasadena, and that very same day I signed up. It was excit- ing, not easy, but graceful at the same time. It just felt right.’” From Humble Beginnings to Creating Desserts for Oprah Winfrey Pascua soon graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu and transitioned into her pro- fessional career. She remembers being el- bows-deep in dough her first time in the kitchen for a wholesale company, then be- coming the pastry chef for a small restaurant and sitting at the beach in Santa Monica at 4 a.m. sketching out new ideas for desserts. “That was my first experience really re- searching and developing with my thumb- print,” says Pascua. “From there, I moved to Hotel Bel-Air. The majority of my career is luxury hotel-focused, and I was with a com- pany called Dorchester Collection for 11 years. I worked my way up at Hotel Bel-Air from a cook to a sous-chef to the executive pastry chef, which I loved because we had just re- opened in 2012, so, I was really part of the re- birth of that property. It became my baby.” During her time as the executive pastry chef, Pacoa also became passionate about cultivating the talent of the chefs around her. “I had bakers or cooks who were with me for seven to eight years that are now doing their own thing. I think, on top of being an artist, I love inspiring leaders and cultivating and nurturing that talent.” Her career has had many highlights, in- cluding training under and working with chefs like Sherry Yard and Wolfgang Puck, not to mention executing a dessert program for Michelle Obama’s birthday dinner cele- bration hosted by Oprah Winfrey. “There was a seven-day period I was liv- ing in Hawaii on Oprah’s property,” says Pas- cua. “I was conceptualizing desserts leading up to Michelle Obama’s birthday. The last night I was responsible for a fried green to- mato salad and dessert, so, I made beignets. At the end of the meal, she [Winfrey] called me into the kitchen and said, ‘I have had beignets all over the world, but your beignets were stupid good.’ I was so young, I think I wasn’t even 24, but that was quite memora- ble for me.” An Opportunity with Groot Hospitality Opens Doors to Miami Pascua describes her journey as challenging yet graceful, where things happen organically and the move to Miami wasn’t different. Through the connection of a fellow chef, she got word of an opportunity with Groot Hos- pitality, which owns and operates multiple restaurants across the city. “I had never done multiple concepts with different identities before, so, I thought this was truly my next step,” says Pascua. “I ended up visiting in Oc- tober of 2022, and thought to myself, ‘Hon- estly, it’s nice and sunny, so, sign me up!’” Now, as the corporate pastry chef for Groot Hospitality, Pascua has created new desserts at some of Groot Hospitality’s Miami hot spots, including Casadonna, Gekko, Swan, and Komodo. A memorable dessert (no longer on the menu) was “El Corazón Des- sert” at Gekko, inspired by Bad Bunny’s al- bum Un Verano Sin Ti. Other highlights and some of her favorite creations so far include the “Tropical Dragon” at Komodo, the “Banana Pagoda” at Gekko, the “Fruittini,” and the “Delizie al Limone” at Casadonna, which is served in a lemon tree that guests can pluck the “lemons” out. Recently, she has introduced some new delectable sweets in collaboration with Skin- nyDipped, a female-founded company that sells lower-sugar nuts, cups, and bites. Pascua developed new desserts around some of the popular SkinnyDipped favorites, including the “SkinnyDipped Popsicles” for Komodo made with coconut lychee sorbet and Lemon Bliss almonds. Later in the year, the menu will include a maple and pumpkin-inspired SkinnyDipped flavor for the fall and a pep- permint creation for the holiday season. Pascua has been in Miami for less than two years, but she tells New Times she already loves the city, the pace, and controversially, she loves the drawbridges. “To me, the draw- bridge symbolizes taking a little pause. I think that small symbol is a reminder that this is where I’m supposed to be, so, I wait patiently behind those little bridges,” she says. Going forward, she wants to observe how the local food culture can impact her creations. “I think I’m just starting here in Miami and I’m still getting my bearings, but I’m re- ally excited,” says Pascua. “I want to incorpo- rate some seasonal changes to the menu and continue to build leadership from within. The culture is different here, so, nurturing the local talent is really important for me. Overall, I really look forward to designing for our existing projects, and future projects.” [email protected] ▼ Café Photo by David Higgs Photography New Groot Hospitality executive pastry chef Tiffany Pascua is making the most elaborate desserts at Casadonna, Gekko, and Komodo in Miami. “THE CULTURE IS DIFFERENT HERE, SO, NURTURING THE LOCAL TALENT IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME.”
