A Sweet Career in the Making
REBECA ALVARADO PAREDES came to Wilmington not sure where she’d find a job. But a glance at the menu at MANNA on Princess Street, and she knew she’d found the place where she wanted to work.
She eventually did land a spot on the staff of the innovative restaurant as a pastry chef. And she’s already becoming a part of the local culinary scene, working on a team for the Fire on the Dock competition earlier this year and more recently as a member of the “Downtown Team” in the School of Fire contest at Manna with Josh Woo of YoSake and James Doss of Rx. (The uptown team also included a female chef -Kirsten Mitchell of Cameo 19 Hundred.)
These adrenaline-fueled tests of culinary skill with only hours to prepare are in distinct contrast to Paredes’ normal pace as a pastry chef.
When she was preparing the desserts for Manna’s fall menu, for example, she had much more time to think about the ingredients – the squashes, fruits and persimmons – the kitchen would have access to.
She can create trays of marzipan pastry cream for a pear-almond tart, poach perfectly scooped apple pieces for a deconstructed crème brulee or freeze orange-ginger ice cream to be placed atop pumpkin sponge cake filled with spiced cream cheese. Then there’s the time and energy that go into researching new recipes or investigating new ingredients.
A look at Paredes’ desserts and it’s easy to understand her motivation to become a pastry chef, as a way to combine delicious functionality with creativity. She enjoys creating comforting flavors while presenting them in a unique and beautiful way.
Paredes was a teenager in high school when she decided on her path and chose to attend the Providence, R.I.-based Johnson & Wales University for its four-year program in pastry making. Her internships and work experience since graduating have included both modern, multi-layered approaches and more traditional techniques learned at a decades-old bakery. Paredes also connects with friends and acquaintances she’s met over the years in the business to network for a chance to work short stints in well-known kitchens in Chicago and New York City. Most recently, that was Eleven Madison Park, which is home of the 2011 James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Angela Pinkerton.
Although the field of pastry includes many accomplished female chefs, the job often entails working in male-dominated kitchens.
“You can’t be overly sensitive,” Paredes said. She often spends up to 12 hours a day with her coworkers, and she doesn’t always see them at their best. A drawback to working with guys is something many can understand, regardless of gender. “Sometimes, you don’t understand why they do what they do,” she said.
Her coworkers do appreciate what she brings to the mix. “It’s actually great to have her here,” said Jameson Chavez, chef de cuisine at Manna. And to have more women in professional kitchens, in general. “It brings balance,” he said. She also has an advocate in Kyle Lee McKnight, another of Manna’s chefs.
“I’ve always gotten along with guys,” Paredes said. “And working here is fun, laid back. We have such a small crew.”
In fact, she compares working at Manna to working with family. And the 24-year-old chef is still learning a lot while working there. That is her plan at she continues her career, which she hopes will eventually lead her to larger kitchens in larger cities, to learn all she can along the way and keep perfecting her craft.
To view more of photographer Jeff Janowski’s work, go to www.jeffjanowski.com.
