Kelly Nam: A Pastry Superstar Talks About Her Career Trials and Triumphs

A certified pastry star, Kelly Nam is the Executive Pastry Chef and Partner at Joomak Banjum restaurant in New York City. She began her career as a pastry cook at Radius in Boston, and then went on to hone her skills at prestigious restaurants including L’Espalier in Boston and Nobu 57, Gordon Ramsay at The London Hotel, The Modern and Electric Lemon in New York City. She also served as Executive Pastry Chef at Frenchie in Paris. Last year she was named 2022 Pastry Chef of the Year by the Michelin Guide NY. Follow Kelly on Instagram at @shell.bugi or @joomakbanjum.

 In this episode we discuss:

•  How Kelly first got interested in baking
• Her work experience at top restaurants and the chefs who inspired her
• How Joomak Banjum came to be
• Her innovative use of savory flavors in desserts
• Her thoughts on being named Michelin Guide NY Pastry Chef of the Year 2022
• How she deals with the problem of finding and retaining team members
• Kelly’s advice for those thinking about becoming pastry chefs
• Her tips for making a perfect meringue
• And much more!

 

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Episode Sponsored by 

Dobla - IRCA

We know pastry chefs are busy. Ordering from Dobla and IRCA means not having to make everything from scratch, and instead spending time assembling final products for sale. It means getting more products in one place, which cuts down on the time spent browsing catalogs, placing orders and visiting with sales representatives. That means you spend less time focused on the business and more time on the thing you love: creating succulent sweets and savories that will keep your customers coming back for seconds. For more information, visit www.dobla.com.