Plated Desserts

Dessert is frequently your customers’ last impression. If it is done well, it will be a memorable experience. If it isn’t, it can be detrimental to the entire dining experience, so the responsibility of the pastry chef is huge. I have often read restaurant reviews that said, “everything was going great until we had dessert.” Now, in all fairness, not every restaurant has a pastry staff, let alone a pastry chef, and it is often left to one of the other cooks to make the desserts, besides having to work on his own mise en place. Occasionally the wait staff will be responsible for plating desserts, which to me is one of the best ways to ensure inconsistency. I can understand that paying a pastry chef’s salary may be cost-prohibitive in some restaurants, but it is still no excuse to deliver a poorly made dessert. Again, it all comes down to respect for yourself and your customers.