Pastry Chefs of the Year

These 12 pastry chefs bake up the best in Houston's restaurant scene

UPDATE:The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, originally scheduled for April 2, will now be held on August 6. The story has been updated with the new date.

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Meals don’t have to end with dessert, but they should, dammit. A chocolate tart, a perfectly executed slice of pie, a piece of cake — nothing provides comfort and satisfaction in quite the same way as a perfect dessert.

Our nominees for the 2020 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Pastry Chef of the Year understand the importance of ending a meal properly. These 12 talented individuals all turn out memorable sweets (that are never TOO sweet, obviously), and many of them craft savory breads, kolaches, and other items, too.

Remember, doughs are temperamental. They require both creativity and chemistry to achieve the proper result. With that in mind, it would be disrespectful not to order these chefs’ creations.

Who will win? Find out August 6 at the Tastemaker Awards party. We’ll dine on bites from this year’s nominated restaurants before emcee Bun B reveals the winners. Buy tickets now.

Allison Rene Thiessen - 1751 Sea & Bar
After working at restaurants such as One Fifth and Rainbow Lodge, this chef reunited with fellow Southern Goods alum J.D. Woodward at this Heights-area seafood restaurant. 1751 takes a global approach to its menu, and that continues with its desserts. Sure, a diner could opt for something subtle like a citrus pavlova or mini hot chocolate, but it’s Thiessen’s show-stopping coconut cake that earns the most consistent raves.

Alyssa Dole - The Kirby Group
No matter she works — Dole has been previously nominated for her work at both Coltivare and Pinkerton’s BBQ — our panel keeps recognizing her work. The Kirby Group bars (Wooster’s Garden, Holman Draft Hall, Heights Bier Garten, and Pitch 25) have always had culinary offerings that exceed expectations, which Dole contributes to by fashioning items such as housemade breads for sandwiches and pretzels. The sweet side comes out in HBG’s brunch menu, which includes kolaches and blueberry muffins.

Chris Leung - Cloud 10 Creamery
A presence on Houston’s dining scene for more than 10 years — we still have fond memories of the pies he served at the late, lamented Bootsie’s — Leung maintains Cloud 10’s status as Houston’s most intriguing ice cream shop. Over the past year, he’s expanded his output to power Cloud 10’s three scoops shops and its growing retail/mail order business. Even as newcomers enter the market, Cloud 10 staples like rnutella with marshmallows and cafe sua da remain consistent crowd pleasers.

Julia Doran - Nancy's Hustle
The chef’s parmesan cheesecake with black pepper honey is just as essential to a meal at Nancy’s as the Nancy cakes and lamb dumplings are, but it’s hard to resist whatever creation Doran has just added to the menu. Just try to resist the brand-new creme fraiche semifreddo with a molten chocolate cake center and salted kumquats. Tiny Champions, the new pizzeria she’s opening with chef Jason Vaughn and beverage specialist Sean Jensen, will provide her with another outlet for her sweet and savory talents.

Otto Sanchez and Matthieu Cabon - Magnol French Baking
With experience working in Las Vegas for superstar chef Joël Robuchon, Sanchez and Cabon bring Michelin-level experience to their joint venture. Open less than a year, Magnol has quickly earned a following for its classic French baguettes and croissants. Going to the bakery on Saturday mornings may yield other treats such as eclairs that show off the duo’s precise techniques.

Rebecca Masson - Fluff Bake Bar
Permitting hassles and construction hiccups have delayed Masson’s debut of her new location near The Heights, but the wait should be coming to an end soon. When it does, she’ll expand her menu with new items such as croissants and kolaches made with products from Truth BBQ. Her signature sweets like the Veruca Salt cake and Couch Potato cookie nail the perfect sweet-salty balance; that’s why they’ve become modern Houston classics.

Samantha Mendoza - Killen's Restaurants
Ronnie Killen may be known for his meaty repertoire, but no meal at his restaurants is complete without one of Mendoza’s sweets. Whether it’s milkshakes at Killen’s Burgers, delicate chocolates at Killen’s Steakhouse, or the churros a Killen’s TMX, her confections always satisfy. The biggest challenge is remembering to save room for them.

Sharon Leonard - Sweet Bribery
A veteran of restaurants such as Uchi and State of Grace, Leonard’s found her calling at this retro-styled ice cream shop in The Heights. Flavors like cookies and cream or mint chocolate chip may sound familiar, but Leonard imbues them with a depth of flavor that transcends their supermarket counterparts. Sweet Bribery’s winning combination of ice cream, baked goods, and booze (beer and wine) gives it a special niche in the suddenly-crowded roster of Heights ice cream options.

Shawn Gawle - Goodnight Hospitality
A veteran of three restaurants that each received three Michelin stars — L20 in Chicago, Saison in San Francisco, and Quince, also in San Francisco — Gawle supplies both Rosie Cannonball and Montrose Cheese & Wine with a wide array of sweet and savory items. Pop into MC&W for his gooey, slightly salty-in-good-way chocolate chip cookies or Pastéis de Nata (Portguese egg custard tarts). Rosie’s signature Focaccia di Recco is one of his creations, as is the mandatory Basque-style cheesecake.

Valerie Trasatti - Rosalie Italian Soul
The talented pastry chef has popped up at a few different projects over the last few years — the corn cookie at Cavo Coffee is one example — but she seems to have found a permanent home at Chris Cosentino’s downtown restaurant. Finding East Coast-style Italian sweets like cannoli and cookies has always been difficult in Houston, but Trasatti turns out versions that would hold their own with the best of Boston’s North End neighborhood. Too full from chef Sasha Grumman’s handmade pastas to contemplate dessert? Don’t worry; Trasatti’s tiramisu makes for an excellent breakfast.

Vanarin Kuch - Koffeteria
After working in New York and Chicago, the Tiny Boxwoods veteran returned to Houston to open his bakery in EaDo. Sure, the Hot Cheetos croissant gets all the attention, but Kuch’s full roster deserves adoration. A baklava croissant loaded with honey and pistachios has an appealing crunch, and his double-height, pleasantly chewy chocolate chip cookies are irresistible. Best of all, Koffeteria’s savory options and espresso beverages make it an appealing breakfast option, too.

Otto Sanchez.

Courtesy of Dwayne Fortier

Otto Sanchez.

tastemakers chefs desserts

if i had a tail

Award-winning Houston bar returns after short closure with big upgrades and exciting news

Photo by Shannon O'Hara

A look inside Monkey's Tail.

Changes have come to Monkey’s Tail. The CultureMap Tastemaker Award-winning neighborhood bar in Lindale Park returned to service this weekend after an almost month-long closure for some behind the scenes renovations and upgrades.

Those changes are only the start. As it prepares to open a second location in Conroe next month (hopefully) and Grease Monkey, a new concept in the former Petrol Station space in the spring, Monkey’s Tail owner Jessie Gonzalez has made other changes, too.

First, the bar’s food truck is in the process of being replaced with a permanent kitchen that will take approximately six months to build. Second, beverage director Lainey Collum is stepping into the operations role formerly occupied by Steven Ripley, who will maintain a part-time consulting role on the food offerings at both bars.

“Monkey’s Tail has morphed into something different than what it started. It just keeps growing,” Gonzalez tells CultureMap. “We want things to flow better. If you want to open multiple locations, you have to have structure.”

He adds that he’s amazing that new people still visit the bar four years into its existing, coming from places as far away as Conroe and Katy. All of the changes are designed to deal with the growing crowds and plan for the future.

“It’s growing pains,” Collum adds. “The volume keeps getting bigger. It’s an amazing problem to have. How do we make the bar more functional to deal with that, so people don’t have super long waits?”

Physically, those structures start with improvements to the inner patio. It now features a U-shaped floating roof designed to provide more shade and protection from the rain than the umbrellas it replaces. The roof complements an outdoor bar and helps make the patio more comfortable. Adding new TVs mean Astros fans will be able to root for the team both indoors and outside during this year’s playoff run.

“We’re trying to get ourselves ready for patio season,” Collum explains. “We also do a big Christmas celebration, a Feliz Navidad thing with a big Christmas tree and tons of decorations. We want to blow it out as big as it can be.”

Similarly, the decision to replace the bar’s food food truck with a full kitchen reflects Gonzalez and Collum’s interests in serving more people more quickly. Monkey’s Tail’s weekend brunch service has become increasingly popular, and Monday’s steak night has doubled its revenue over the past couple of years.

“We’ve gone over 200 steaks a night,” Gonzalez says. “For a bar, it’s a lot of steak.”

While the kitchen is under construction, Monkey’s Tail will utilize guest food trucks. Elements, chef Zach McClendon’s traveling steak night pop-up that also operates the kitchen at Cottonwood, will take on steak night until the kitchen is operational.

On the personnel side, Collum is taking the lead on operations and being granted a partnership stake in the company. She brings a wide range of experiences to her role, including working as the assistant general manager at Hay Merchant, a bar manager at The Pass & Provisions, the beverage director for Prohibition, and a management role at Yauatcha, the stylish dim sum restaurant from the international Hakkasan Group. Now, she’s accepted the challenge of being an owner and applying some of those fine dining standards to a casual, come-as-you-are, neighborhood bar.

“I have a very varied background of all different types of places, but I do have a high end pedigree,” she says. “I switched over to a more casual concept, because in my mind, that’s where the bar world is going. Nothing against fine dining, it’s amazing, but as far as longevity goes, it’s tough.”

Collum’s most immediate responsibility is opening Monkey’s Tail’s second location in Conroe (2017 N. Frazier St.). Announced last year, it’s expected to open in October.

Conroe residents can expect the full Monkey's Tail menu — including wings, tacos, and the signature Chango Burger, along with all of its popular stirred, shaken, and frozen cocktails. Events such as steak night will also make the journey north. If Conroe proves to be successful, Gonzalez has his eye on other cities for additional locations, including Katy and Brenham.

Once Conroe is up and running, Collum will turn her attention to Grease Monkey. The project has been delayed for a variety of reasons, but is expected to open by mid-2024. As in the Petrol Station days, draft beer will remain a core part of the bar’s offerings, along with cocktails and a slimmed-down version of the Monkey’s Tail food menu to allow for its smaller kitchen.

“We don’t want to take it lightly. We can take Monkey’s Tail and replicate it in Conroe. That’s not what Grease Monkey is,” Collum says.

“With Steven leaving the group, I don’t want to say what it’s going to be. It might change a little bit.”

Ultimately, Gonzalez and Collum share the same goal of making the original Monkey’s Tail and any related locations durable Houston institutions. With the right systems in place, they plan to serve customers for years to come.

“We want to be here for the long term,” Gonzalez says. “I know it’s hard for bars to do that, but Little Woodrow’s has. If they can do it, why can’t we?”

A look inside Monkey's Tail.

Photo by Shannon O'Hara

Monkey's Tail has reopened after a month away.

openings cocktails craft-beer news-you-can-eat

Pastry Chefs of the Year

These 12 pastry chefs bake up the best in Houston's restaurant scene

Otto Sanchez.

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if i had a tail

Award-winning Houston bar returns after short closure with big upgrades and exciting news

A look inside Monkey's Tail.

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Houston intel delivered daily.