Pastry Chef | my last bite...

Chef Waylynn Lucas at BreadBar’s Hatchi Series

I’m not a huge fan of desserts. I like sweet AND savory dishes, but when it comes to the end of a great meal, I’d rather settle into a daring cheese plate and a few bites of fruit. My husband Peter on the other hand is, in fact, a DESSERT FREAK and he’ll even eat chocolate with his morning coffee if we have it in the house.

I used to eat desserts just because Peter ordered them, but since we dine out so much, I simply had to cut back on something (and it wasn’t going to be cocktails!). It came down to this: If I don’t absolutely LOVE and CRAVE it, I’m not wasting calories just because it’s there.

For my birthday last March, my sister even made me a meatloaf & mashed potato cake. When I first opened the cake box, I thought it was a mistake! My family knows I don’t have a sweet tooth, so I was doubly shocked to see the beautifully decorated dessert. It turned out to be the best birthday meat cake EVER!

So, since I’m not a dessert connoisseur, why in the world would I sit down for an evening of just DESSERTS at BreadBar’s Hatchi? Well… because I happen to be a SUPER fan of pastry chef Waylynn Lucas.

If you dined at the Patisserie at The Bazaar by José Andrés during the first nine months of opening, then you probably tasted Waylynn’s amazing creations. My favorites were the “Nitro Coconut Floating Island”, “Beet Meringue with Berries”, and white chocolate POPROCKS! For these special dinners out, I definitely have at least a taste of the exquisite desserts offered.

Waylynn is not only a talented pastry chef, but she’s also an absolute delight to be around. During each visit to the Bazaar (15 when I stopped counting), she always spent a little extra time with my family and friends whenever we ate in the Patisserie. My niece and nephews have even elevated her to “Wonka Status”, because when they speak about Waylynn, it’s like they’re talking about the fictional candy maker. Although I’d personally describe Waylynn as more like “Truly Scrumptious”, the beautiful (and charming) daughter of the candy factory owner in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”!

At a recent BreadBar Hatchi guest-chef event, Waylynn presented a menu titled, “Favorite Childhood Flavors in a Sophisticated New Way”, and it did not disappoint. We invited four, sugar lovin’ friends to join us for the sweet feast and there were “oohs and aahs” all around the table.

I tasted each of the eight dishes, and my two favorites (I had seconds!) were the “Lemon Meringue Pie” and “PB and J”.

The best part, for all of us, was that each of Waylynn’s creations took us right back to our childhoods (with even just one bite). It was a wonderful evening of laughing, sharing memories AND great cocktails too!

As a kid I dreamt about having just desserts for dinner (didn’t we all?), so it was a real treat to have the talented and truly scrumptious Waylynn Lucas make this grade-school dream come true.

“Favorite Childhood Flavors in a Sophisticated New Way”
by Chef Waylynn Lucas

Strawberry Shortcake: Nitro Frozen Vanilla Custard, Fresh Strawberries, Vanilla Genoise, Thai Basil

Lemon Meringue Pie: Fresh Berries, Cookie Crumble, Pop Rocks

Creamsicle: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Mandarin sorbet, Buttermilk Cake

PB&J: Peanut Butter and Jelly Filled Beignets, Milkshake Shooters

Bao Zhong and Kenya Gichathaini (palate cleansers), Molten Chocolate Cake with Banana Brulee Pudding and Hazelnut Praline with Milk Sorbet, Candies.

Fudgesicle: Frozen Chocolate, Mint Sponge, Peppermint Glaciers

Pudding: Twisted Milk Chocolate, Coffee Ice Cream, Toffee

Candy, Candy, Candy: Lollipops, Caramel, Marshmallow, Pate de Fruit, Bonbon

Old Fashioned: Maker’s Mark, lemon and orange essence, Angostura’s aromatic bitters.

Waylynn at Work

Peter and Waylynn

If you missed Waylynn at Breadbar, you can visit her at the Penthouse, in Santa Monica (in the Huntely Hotel). Website

About Hatchi:
Hatchi at BreadBar is a “unique venture featuring a different guest chef every month preparing an original, one-night-only suite of eight plates, including six ’savory’ dishes and two ’sweet’ creations”. Hatchi means number eight in Japanese: 8 Plates offered at $8 each. Check BreadBar’s website for upcoming Hatchi events (link below).

BreadBar Century City
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90067
310 277 3770
WebSite