Chef Josh Dorset makes a raw avocado and citrus tarte

To all pastry Kings, Queens & sweet tooths!!

To all pastry Kings, Queens & sweet tooths!! Check out the latest fad, which may go the distance! Who is sick of the pre- made Pavlova, Ice cream sundae or sticky date pudding options on the menu in every location you go? Chefs are time poor and don’t have the patience these days to perfect recipes. If you have a sweet tooth you must be in Heaven in SA right now with a huge array of sweet s and dessert cafes opening up. Now the selection is broader, from house made pastries, marshmallow covered sorbet sticks, bombe Alaska and frangipane tart you can really blow your mind with more traditional desserts done well. Talented patisserie Kings and Queens now specialising in almost every apprentice’s dream- to do desserts! It takes time, patience and skill to create master pieces of the patisserie food world. Key techniques are learnt over many years to perfect these hundred year old recipes with the skills to make these amazing treats. It is Vital these skills be passed on to the future workers of the industry. It is amazing to see, let this be said- everyplace needs an apprentice!! do us a favour please! pass on these amazing skills to the next-gen! South Australia has really taken off with many dessert only venues popping up. Devour Dessert Bar on Prospect Rd, Chocolateria San Churro on Rundle St, Astonish Patisserie on King William Rd, Eggless on Goodwood Rd, Dolce & Co Gilbert St, Dough Central Markets & Onyx Dessert Lounge in O’Connell St just to name a few. Let us not forget the Regional Fav’s that I have been to on my travels- hidden gems and highly acclaimed Patisserie Van Leuven Cullinare in Naracoorte, and the Metro Bakery & Café in Mount Gambier. Both selling exceptional handcrafted cakes/pastries to their lucky locals & travellers from a far. You can of course be inspired to attempt these delicious treats yourselves with a little help from some great SA producers and specialist equipment. Carême Pastry is a family run business located in the Barossa Valley, South Australia. They specialise in making a range of handcrafted, high quality, ready-to-use pastry dough. It is an amazing product, with many different uses, flavours and really does take the stress out of making your own home baked sweets. Using the finest local ingredients and seasonal produce will enhance your chances of creating exceptional dishes and let all of these places be your inspiration to become a pastry King or Queen!!

To market, to market, jiggity jig.

Markets, where else can you go and get such inspiration and instant information about the current produce and trends. The wealth of interesting fruits and vegetables from all corners of the world are sure to have you salivating over all the food possibilities. A place where you can get bok choy, olives and moroccan spices all in one place. Most kitchens that I have worked in have some kind of fruit and vegetable seasonal availability poster, but is there really a better way to find out what is available than getting out there and seeing it for yourself?

Why not grab a few kitchen staff and head down to your local markets. See, touch and smell the produce, look at the prices and talk about new and interesting products. By having a greater interest in these sort of things you can get greater job satisfaction, better creativity and a broader knowledge. So get out there!