The moral is that smart people can be masters of many trades, though Ottolenghi claims that it took him a lot longer to "really experience pastry with my hands" (six months) than to make his way through Hegel (an excruciating few weeks).
Youssef Age: 14 Hometown: Hraytan, Syria Current location: Zahle, Lebanon Job Title: Pastry Shop Assistant Experience: 18 months Earnings: $25/week.
I'm working with what are essentially chemical formulas that experienced pastry chefs have worked out through much trial and error.
If you want to try your hand at making éclairs like Adam does, then he has some advice for you: "someone who wants to make éclairs at home should have first had some prior experience in pastry making.
And his own experience as head pastry chef at Titanic and then Quo Vadis for Marco Pierre White gave him the confidence to make the leap.
Some rice products and pastries, maybe, but in my experience, continental demand for the violently hued ready-rice beloved of Britons is strictly limited.
"Meeting Johnny Iuzzini Jean Georgesges's pastry chef — "was a life-changing experience," said Jesse Nagelberg, 16, of East Brunswick, N.J., who was in the kitchen that morning.
His experience at a Geneva pastry shop provided inspiration for the warm Granny Smith apple tart, whose pate sable crust was as rich as a classic butter cookie.
Even the drinks (around $2) and pastries ($1 to $2) provide an authentic Colombian experience.
Sam Mason, the new pastry chef at Atlas on Central Park South, drew on experience when he concocted a fountain menu to serve in the outdoor cafe.
