Supper with Sylvia #10 Pastry Chef Casey Doody - Life is what you bake it

Chicago Pastry Chef Casey Doody isn't shy about letting her dreams pave the way.  Known for her Sky High Key Lime Pie and Focaccia Fridays, she's built a reputation for creating the sweet treats that top off any celebration. Doody worked her craft in Dallas, New York City and Chicago's best restaurants, private clubs and fine hotels and now finds herself at a crossroads in a whole new journey.  In this episode of Supper with Sylvia, Chef Casey talks about her dream to be a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader and how it eventually led down the path to success and life balance.

Show notes:

More about Chef Casey Doody in the links below

https://www.instagram.com/cndoody_/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-doody-25a8a4133

This episode is produced by Jane Stephens

Audio engineering and original music by Donnie Cutting

Social Media and Promotions by Magali Blasdell

Check out SupperwithSylvia on Instagram.
Email us at SupperwithSylvia@gmail.com

Transcript

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The job of a pastry chef is a unique special place in a restaurant kitchen where artistry and science come together to cap off the perfect meal. For Casey Doody, the training for this started while she was flinging dough in the family pizza shops. But her dream of becoming a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader took her to Texas. When that didn't work out, she went back to her real passion, which is baking. From Dallas to New York City and back home to Chicago,

Casey has been whipping up treats satisfying the sweet tooth of pro golfers and celebrities using the finest baking ingredients available while balancing health and wellness. Whether it's her sky high key lime pie or the much loved focaccia Fridays, Casey brings energy, creativity, and a whole lot of flavor to everything she does. So sit back and get ready for a delicious chat. Welcome to this episode of Supper with Sylvia.

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For those who don't know, Casey was with GTE Prime, which just recently closed. And for those of us Chicagoans who have always loved that place, it was sad. But this is the thing I love about you, Casey, because I know you and I follow you on social media. And for you, you're truly somebody who, when something comes to an end, you look at it as a new beginning. And I feel like that's what you're doing right now.

Absolutely. I always say like when one door closes, five windows are open, you just got to figure out where your heart is. You really do. And I think if your heart's not in it, then why are you doing it? So I'm really looking forward to kind of this, I call it like a rebirth, right? Like it's the new year, you get to decide, you know, which avenue you want to go to. I'm sure over the years after us talking and so many conversations, I love meditating, I love yoga, just the wellness aspect of life. So I kind of

it ties into like, what's your next move? And kind of trusting that wherever it leads me to, I know it's meant for me. It is also a scary time because I've had something like this happen to me before. And I think so much of it depends on your mindset. And I know that you're big on focusing on that. And personally, I think this is an exciting time for you because you have quite

the history and quite the record. So I kind of want to dig into that a little bit. I feel like I've done it all, Sylvia. I really do. so cool. So cool. you know, one of the things I love, you are a great pastry chef, but I am obsessed with your focaccia. So before we get into the focaccia, you grew up in your family pizzeria. Is that where the whole bread thing came in? Tell me about your family pizza not at all. You know, so my uncle, when we were growing up,

And it's kind of like my like my dad's side of the family. Like his uncle had a part of the franchise. My uncle had part of the franchise. it's called the Rillios Pizza. More so in the suburbs. There's one in the city, but my family does not have any ownership in that one. And you know, going to work with dad, you know, was being at the pizzeria. So I used to like make a joke, like, you got to make the dough to make the dough.

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Everything was kind of like systematically already put into place. Like there was no recipes or kind of like special little secrets because it was a franchise and they all ran the same. But I do feel like I got that hospitality in my blood because my family was so good at that aspect of the business and just entertaining. You know, my grandmother on my mom's side, she's an amazing cook.

and we used to do Sunday dinners and I used to say like, oh, my mom's like Buddy Crocker because she was literally the woman who made every birthday cake and, you know, we're baking cookies at home. So I feel like it just kind of was, was reflected onto me growing up and, and it just, it's something that came naturally to me.

But yeah, the pizzeria, it was there, but it did not, it taught me more life skills than it did bread skills. I love it. Okay, so you've worked at some of the finest restaurants, Michelin starred, you've traveled, you were in Dallas, you were in New York, and then you came back home to your hometown of Chicago. And you first started working with the Gibson's Restaurant Group, and then you ended up with the Boca Group. So you've been with some pretty well established places.

And I'm curious because most people, when we think of a chef, the picture that comes to mind is a man. When we think of a pastry chef, the picture that comes to mind is a woman. Okay, what's going on with that? It's still kind of an old school thing. Is it still kind of a man's role? You know, I've always worked with males. Like I have not had a female counterpart. I've had females on my team.

But as far as kind of like those bigger managerial roles, it's always been a man. I think my generation in the culinary world kind of was that next phase of, you know, accepting women in the kitchen and it's not kind of having that backlash that a lot of people may associate with chefs in the workplace. I've always

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kind of kept an open mind. mean, yes, it's a little bit more of a, I don't want to say like a tougher kind of facade. it's definitely not one that's like female and, you know, nurturing, right? But also at the same time, I feel like we've kind of gotten away from that stereotype. But yes, a lot of

pastry chefs are female. I always say like, gotta be sweet in order to make this sweet. And so I don't know if it just comes with female personality, but there are so many talented male pastry chefs. I think it's just like you said, we see a lot of it on the savory side that we do pastry. Yeah. So what is it you love about being a pastry chef? And did you ever consider maybe just doing, you know, just being a chef, but not doing the pastry world? So I am a very

funny story about getting into pastry. I grew up competitive dancing. So I was like a studio kid, ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop. And it was very competitive. So traveled a lot with that. And my main dream was to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. So that's why I moved to Dallas, was to entertain that dream. And it didn't really work out how I wanted it to. I made it to the finals. The last day the team was announced, I got cut.

And at that time I was in pastry school. I didn't know what I wanted to do. But I remember sitting on the couch watching Giada on Food Network. And my mom said, what do you want to do? You you've got to pick a major. And at this point, heart was in dance. I just wanted to professionally dance. And I was like, you know what? I'm going be the next Giada of the pastry world. Like, there's not really that female personality in the pastry world. Like, if you could, and you know this.

Copy and paste me on TV. love the camera. You're good. But the reason that I really got into this was I love celebrating life's best moments with people. And I feel like we do that a lot with dessert. You start the meal with bread. You finish your meal with desserts. And it was just something that clicked one day watching Giada on the Food Network. I was going to culinary school. I was in Dallas.

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And then it just kind of was a snowball effect after that on where I went and what I was doing. Okay. We're going to have to back up here because I had no idea you tried out to be a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader. I Can I just tell you, do you watch that series? Because I am obsessed with that Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader series.

Okay, well, secret I was on one of those seasons. know which one because then people are gonna start looking it up. But yes, like in the earlier numbers of seasons, I think they're like 20 or 30 seasons now. But yes, okay, lots of discipline. Oh my gosh. that series. So somebody told me to watch it. And then I'll look one. Yes, the Netflix series. So I've watched one.

And then I watched two and next thing I knew it was like one o'clock in the morning. just went for it. And I have to tell you after watching that series, I truly have a whole new respect for those ladies. It's not what you think. I mean, they're just not beautiful. The things they have to go through and how amazing that you made it to the finals and how devastating that you got cut on the last day. So you must have learned something. Tell me what that day was like. I think it was just,

honestly, you work so hard. It's a three month long audition. It's not you walk in and here I am, you show your talent and get to walk out the door. You know, it starts with 400 girls and goes down to like the top 42, I think. I think now they cut it down to 36, but that's all I ever wanted. So it was just kind of like tunnel vision. And at that time, know, pastry school was second.

I remember lying to my instructor and saying, hey, I can't eat this. I'm allergic to it. Or I'm gluten free. I can't have it. Because so much of that audition not only was talent, but was personality and body type and kind of appearance. So there's a lot of things that went into that. I think confidence, like walking out with so much confidence as a woman and being able to

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literally start a conversation with anybody or not be afraid of the camera and truly kind of living in your authenticity really just kind of poured into who I am today and those life experiences. it was a great time. I met so many amazing women and dancers and I still talk to some of those people today. Kitty Carter, you may have seen her on the show. She was like my Dallas mom.

So it was a really special time. It was 14 years ago, but it was definitely part of the life story and getting into pastry. And during that time, like I said, I was going to pastry school and here we are today. I love it. Wow. That's so fun. I could totally see you. You were robbed. You should have gotten it, I'm sure. It's funny because you go to these prep classes, And it's kind of preparation for the audition.

And this is why I moved to Dallas. So not even working in Dallas at the time in pastry, my main focus was this. So I would go to these audition classes, I'd practice, I'd totally pour into all of this. My trainer was a triathlete. There was so much that went into it. But looking back at it, it's like, wow, like I did that. That's part of my story. Wow. And that's a great story because I liken the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, for those of you who have not watched the net

flick series, don't like just be, I would not be interested. I promise if you watch it, it blows your mind. To me, I say it's the equivalent almost of a military boot camp. So that's a life experience that probably makes you tougher and stronger. And when you're working in a man's world, do you find you kind of need to have that toughness? You do. Totally. And it's not to say, in the kitchen, that's a ton of jokes or

you may take it the wrong way. Now tons of emotions in the workplace get brought up. And we just live in a completely different world than we did five years ago. So you really have to take people's feelings and accountability where it's not just about the food anymore. It's not just about the recipes. It's not just about the product that you're continually making day in and day out. So yes, absolutely. All of it goes into play.

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And I'm sure that was a big disappointment for you. And that's part of how you've learned to turn that frown into a smile. Because you're always so positive and everything. So let's talk pastry. Yeah, let's talk about it. So you do a few things that I love. And that's the focaccia and the mile high. Is it key lime pie? Yeah, sky high key lime pie. So tell me what is it you love about being a pastry chef and creating things like that?

people connect with it on such a simplistic level or bringing up a memory. It's always a conversation piece. And I say it's very Americana, right? Like bread and pie, two very, very simple things. But simple in today is very hard to do and to do right. You're not trying to overcomplicate it. It's really just the ingredients, making sure the product really shines.

when you're passionate about it, it's so easy to talk about. And with the focaccia, it's kind of like a warm hug. And when we did the segment on TV, I'm like, it's kind of like a warm hug. is. know, like soup. And ever since I said that, it kind of makes sense. Because as soon as people start eating it, you just can't stop eating it. And it's something that I connected with Giuseppe a lot, day in, day out. You know, it's something that we bonded over.

talked about, and I think it was just something really special. So it holds a different place in my heart rather than, you know, a slice of chocolate cake. It was honestly a COVID project that when I was in New York, Bread Service, where I worked, Lincoln Restaurant, it was a one Michelin pre-theater for the Metropolitan Opera. So the Bread Service there was Focaccia. Now, my time in New York was cut short because of the pandemic. So it was something I always

was told that you're gonna constantly learn about. Bread is a forever science that it's not just, got it this day and I'm gonna have it forever. So it was something I worked on a lot, just being home, I'm locked down. I think everybody kinda did it. you talk about the grocery stores and the flour and the yeast, it was on such high demand because people were at home baking. And now the whole rage is sourdough. But I feel like focaccia's making a comeback. So I was able to.

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kind of put my time and my energy into the focaccia. And then as soon as restaurants opened and I started working at Gibson's, one of the first things they asked me was, we want you to create a bright program for us. And because I was at Italia, it made sense to do focaccia. So I've done different variations of focaccia in the city. No one has the exact, the golden ticket to the focaccia recipe right now, but we did a very special version of it at GT Private.

doing the focaccia Fridays and kind of throwing around the term, I got you, I'm your girl, really kind of caught on over the summer. And it was really nice to see people relate to it or have a story. And it was really a talking piece. Now the key lime, that's a completely different story because that one, I remember the day we put it on the menu, it was actually not sky high, but it was a key lime pie GT fish and oyster.

And as a lot of the probably viewers and listeners will know, GT Fish and Oyster did close two years ago. But when we were kind of in the thick of it, I remember Giuseppe saying, key lime always has to be on the menu. And being a pastry chef, you want to be creative and you want to kind of do a cool spin or modernize something. And at this point, I just, I didn't love key lime. I just could not piggyback on this key lime idea.

So I was like, you know what, I've done this pie before. I did a really great one when I was at the Dallas Country Club and I was their pastry chef. And to be quite honest, was like, you know what, I'm gonna recreate it, but kind of in like a Chicago way. And what a lot of these restaurants in the city, desserts are Instagrammable. So at that point I'm like, can we make this meringue so high and cut it so sleek that that's all you need is a slice of pie.

really worked on the crust. We were able to get the filling down so it wasn't too tart and too sweet. And the meringue is another talking piece because when it hits the table, it's like, whoa. And people love it. I have gotten before, people order it and not realize it's meringue. I don't know how. Maybe they just didn't read the menu but said, oh, I want key lime pie. And they'll ask for a side of whipped cream and literally scrape the meringue off the top.

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and make their own version. But it's kind of like a marshmallow meat. It's just airy. It's really nice and people love it. It's not too sweet and it kind of hits the spot. A lot of people say, oh yeah, eat key lime pie in Florida and we think this one is better. So it's nice to hear the feedback and you're doing something right and people love it. And it was one of the main things that kind of caught my momentum and

really helped me over the summer kind of make a splash and Mariano's caught on to it. It's one of the covers of their magazines and it was it was the chef Chicago cookbook recipe. So if you want to make it at home, the recipe is there by the cookbook. and that's that's a great way for us to segue into this because you are very philanthropic and you have been a big part of the

Chicago Chefs Organization, which is a philanthropic organization that was started by Tony Priolo from Piccolo Sonio. And it started after the war broke out in Ukraine and Tony said, what can we do? We need to help. And so Chicago Chefs banded together, including your old boss, Giuseppe Tantori. Tony and Giuseppe went to Ukraine and this organization was born. And this organization is now very being

you know, let's talk about what's happening today. This organization is now working together to help with the wildfire relief efforts in California. And you're a part of that. Tell me about that. Yeah. So right now, Chef Chicago Cook, they've partnered up with restaurants in the city and certain menu items, proceeds will go to the relief funds. I love Chef Chicago Cook. You know, that's where my heart lies.

This dinner that I'm doing though is actually a Chicago chefs collaboration. It's not really affiliated with both, but chefs who are participating in the Chef Chicago Cook fundraiser are also a part of the dinner I'm doing at Pico Lo Sonio. So Tony sent off a text message, we're partnering up with World Central Kitchen one night only and we're sold out. So unfortunately viewers, I'm sorry you can't get your tickets, but February 11th I'm sure there'll be lots of media coverage.

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And we're just so excited to give back. And that was another reason why I loved being a part of Chef Chicago Cook and still continue to this day. Because not only the people and the chefs that you're doing the philanthropic work with, they're just, they're top notch. Everybody is so kind and has such an amazing heart and truly wants to give back. as soon as relief is needed and there's a disaster or catastrophe, they are one of the

first ones in the Chicago scene, making a difference and really organizing and rallying during these times. And you know, it's something I've noticed as I've gotten to know more chefs over the years. And it makes sense if you think about it, because food is nurturing. Food is about comfort. Food is about love. So it would make sense that this group like you, that this is, you feel like this is your responsibility. Not only even a responsibility, I feel like, but

Truly, it fills me with so much joy. I think that, you know, and we were talking earlier, I'm like, if your heart's not in it, then why are you doing it? But honestly, I have met so many amazing people through these organizations, and I continue to work with them because I know the money goes exactly where they say it's going to go. And like you said, food's nourishing, and it's honestly a nice little break from your day-to-day restaurant four walls.

I see it's like a dinner party with your friends because a lot of these chefs that do these events, we're all friends. We know each other. So it's not only is it fundraising and it's getting back to the community, but we're also having fun doing it. Right. So what are you going to, are you going to make your focaccia? Well, no, I'm not. I did volunteer in the beginning, but actually Greg's going to do it from public hand, which is amazing. He's super talented. So focaccia we're going to put on the site for now, but I am doing desserts.

not quite sure what I want to do yet. Tony was so gracious and said I could come in and cook in his kitchen. So as of now, since I don't have a restaurant at home, exactly. So yeah, it'll be fun. I'm excited. Giuseppe is going to be there. It's like getting the band back together. The family back together. family, yes. I want to talk about, I want to get back to this focaccia because I'm obsessed with this. so I loved this segment we did. I mean, I feel like

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I filled the hallways with like focaccia smell as if it was a fragrance or a candle. so she was so great. Just to let you guys know, she came to the station. We did a gotcha focaccia segment with her and you brought a bunch of focaccia. So, the variations. Yeah, I it was for Thanksgiving. I think we did it. Yeah, that sounds right. And, and I just remember biting into it. and you know, when you bite into something, you know, it's going to be good.

but maybe you didn't realize it was gonna be that good. And I took a bite of it and I could feel from my head to toe that warm hug that you're talking about. It was so good. And it's very moist. You take advantage. my God. I don't think I've ever had, is that what work? I don't think I've ever had more hydrated focaccia in my life. We use amazing olive oil and this is the other kind of

I probably shouldn't be giving a secret out, but people who bake know it's not all water. I use milk for part of the hydration element to it. It's not just water. And it ferments over a two day process. So I think 48 hours, which it's just about 48 because you make a starter, which if you think of flour dough, flour, yeast, water, and you feed it over time. With Makasha, we call it a pulish.

And what you do is you make it the day before you're going to actually make your bulk dough. So you kind of have something to jumpstart that gluten development. And it's not as time consuming as creating a sourdough starter. And if you forget to make it, it's not the end of the world. You're still going to be able to make your bread. And to be quite honest, leaving it in the cooler to bulk ferment for two days.

is like the magic little trick. Not only is the hydration super important, but leaving it just to ferment, it kind of creates that sourdough taste that everyone's learning to love about the focaccia, because it's not just bread. And it's hard to kind of explain that with words because you kind of have to taste it.

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There's something special about it and sometimes people can't get their finger on it. what is it? Like what is that taste? Not only is the texture amazing, but what is the taste? And it's because we let the dough sit for two days. Now I've let it go up to three days and Giuseppe and I were playing with it for a little while before we closed and we really found just this amazing product of letting it sit and ferment. So there's a lot of tips, tricks. It's never honestly, you know,

a forever learned thing. I'm constantly learning. It's kind of like the teacher is the student, I like to say. And I'm constantly just tweaking it and using different flowers. we were able to, like over at Gibson's, right? Like the flower I used, it was called man edelite. And it was something that we imported. And it was just this super fine double zero high gluten flour.

and it really made the texture insane, insane's like the right word. And if you go on my Instagram, you can see some of those old photos and it's just like the pockets of focaccia. It's wild. Now, GT Pride, we use artisan bread flour. It was a special mix. So it wasn't the Italian flour, but we used the Italian olive oil. So you're always kind of tweaking it and twisting the recipe to kind of create its own kind of name and face to the restaurant that you're working with.

Hopefully it lands somewhere very soon. I don't know. It's definitely something that I hope people catch on to and will want love. And maybe one of these restaurants will call me and we'll get it back up and running. I want it to be sold at Mariano's so I can just go over there and buy it. Amanda listening, Amanda. Yeah, we're going to reach out to Amanda from Mariano's. And we'll be right back.

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and ready to join your family today. Visit WSHSDG.org to see available pets, learn about volunteer opportunities, or donate to support our mission. Make a difference, change a life, and find a friend today at the West Suburban Humane Society, where love and second chances begin. I want to ask you, what is your favorite dessert to make? Have you already told me?

No, because every time somebody asks me, I feel like it's like the seasons, right? Like it always changes. I never have the same answer. Right now, I'm into the tiramisu mode. And I feel like people have seen that a lot for me over the last year. Not only do I love making tiramisu, but I love eating it. I just love coffee, anything in general. So I'd have to say tiramisu. But I mean, what like...

Who doesn't love a warm chocolate chip cookie? I'm very basic. I don't need something crazy gastronomy. I absolutely appreciate it. But if you're like, KC, what's your favorite dessert? A warm chocolate chip cookie, a warm brownie. I am so simple. Cheesecake. I think it depends on my mood of the day. What am I craving? But right now, I'm kind of on a tiramisu kick. OK. And you mentioned something. What's going on with sourdough bread? It's having its moment. What's that about?

As a pastry chef, feel like sometimes people think we know it all, right? And it's like, it's part of your realm. And don't you know how to make sourdough? I'll be honest. I think I made sourdough maybe twice in my life. It's not my forte. And I leave it up to those pastry chefs in town who are amazing at it. I think right now people love it because there's some scientific backing to that health behind sourdough. And that's why it's kind of

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had such a following recently because a lot, and to be quite honest, and I've seen it with dessert trends, know, there's moments of the year people don't order dessert and watch what they're eating and not in taking so much sugar or they don't want the carbs and there's a happy medium to it. And I think right now a lot of people with the new year and kind of ramping up and looking at your health and there's studies that show because of the fermentation, there's, it's good for your gut.

Yes, you know, I people are really kind of following that trend right now. anything that ends up on TikTok and Instagram, feel like people just they buy into it. right now, sourdough is having its moment. feel like focaccia is going to get back to like where sourdough is right now. I do. OK. Do you see what other food or pastry trends do you see for 2025, do you think? Right now, vegan and gluten free.

I feel like that is such a hot topic. Chocolate companies are coming out with vegan chocolate. I think a lot of pastry chefs have now modernized the way that they do things and there's so much product at our fingertips now to make, you know, producing vegan desserts and gluten-free desserts on such a high level. Very easy. I think now the flowers that are on the market, you know, before when you said gluten-free, it's kind of like, eh.

But it doesn't taste as good as the real stuff. But now, there's flours out there that you just replace it for the AP flour or whatever flour you're using. Stuff has come such a long way that it tastes good now. And people follow it, and depending on dietary restrictions, and kind of like we're just talking about, people's health, everyone buys into it. So it's definitely trending right now. And the fact that

chocolate companies can produce vegan chocolate now. It's quite impressive. Same thing with gelatin. You know, there's gelatin on the market that's vegan. So there's a lot of really cool products on the market right now that are making it easier for pastry chefs to produce those products. And I think we're going to see a lot more of it in the upcoming year. I'm so glad to hear that. My oldest daughter, who's now 21, we found out when she was very young, she had all these food allergies and

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we had to go gluten free and you are so right. Back then it was awful. It was like eating cardboard, right? Yeah, no, totally. Now I wish I would have known that. I would have sent you home with some goodies that I'd show you. But even like the focaccia, like going back to that, know this is, people might get sick of hearing me talk about focaccia, but it was something that I haven't seen done gluten free. And Giuseppe has a friend.

whose daughter is gluten-free and I have had so much fun trying to create gluten-free focaccia and we've done a couple different variations of it and it's good. It's good. For a second I'm like, we're kind of onto something here. This tastes good. Yeah. So is that something that, I know you're taking some time off, but is that something that you like to experiment with at home sometimes on your day off? You're like, I'm going to master this gluten-free focaccia.

No, I totally do. I think my family gets sick of me making messes sometimes or bringing over stuff to their house like, you got to try this. And I'm the type of person who's just going to do it once. I'm I have a type of personality and perfectionism. I know a lot of people are like, pastry is perfect. And it's really not. You know, we all have our flaws and mistakes and there's always

that one time to make it better or experiment and that's where I can't just make something once and be happy with it. So it's definitely a process. It's all part of the R &D right now though. Yeah, at home I really like to make comforting things. know, it's something quick and easy. Focaccia I did make for the holidays, but I actually haven't made anything this year at home. So, you know.

kicking off the new year, straight into vacation and kind of really going deep into health and fitness and maybe I'll go home and make something out of this. There you go. After we were talking here. You got me in the spirit. And save some for me. That's all I want to say. Yes, always. So I am curious for you when you go out to eat and you want your favorite comfort go-to food in Chicago.

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I don't know if it's something in your neighborhood or it's a family thing. Where do you like to go in Chicago? What's your favorite comfort place? I'm going to give a shout out to Joe Flom right now. I love his pasta and what he's done with his concepts. At Rosemary? Both of them. Honestly, hands down, like when you're talking about the new year, like best meal I've had.

to be quite honest, when you talk about comfort foods, I'm a salad girl, but if you give me a warm bowl of pasta, phenomenal. And those little gnocchi pillows with the pesto, out of this world. Now, I was recently at RL, which I haven't been to in years, also another Gibson's concept. It's like the atmosphere, I love.

Like grab a glass of wine, some appetizers. Like it's not so much about the food, but the company you keep, feel like. You know, I haven't really gone out to too many restaurants. I'm kind of in my era where I hide out at Soho House. I work out here. I do my like self care here. You know, kind of work from the cell phone and computer here. So right now I'm kind of diving deep into fitness and

I haven't been out really that much this year. It's crazy. Now that you're like, oh, where do you go to get your favorite comfort food? I'm like, this is hard. OK, but you answer. Don't really eat out too much. But recently, Joe Flom's concepts, I love his pasta. OK, what about, because you are Chicago and you've been here for a while, Valentine's Day is coming up. What's your favorite romantic restaurant in the city? Oh, I would always say the ones that I was working at. Yes.

But right now we're not doing that. Gosh, romantic restaurant.

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Have you ever been to Chez Joelle? I have not, but I've certainly heard of it. Chez Joelle, I grew up going to with family, and it's kind of a neighborhood spot. It's closer, I think more closer to Little Italy than anything, of over by Taylor Street, that kind of neighborhood. But it's another French concept, but not too snobby French. But service and the food, I absolutely love. Yeah.

I would always go, we would go there for Christmas, we'd go there for certain holidays and they treated us like family and if there's one place that I remember, it's Chez Joelle. that's nice. It's got family memories too. It does. It does. And now like the romantic aspect of like Valentine's Day, we're not gonna go into my dating life, but I have dated enough chefs that Valentine's Day was always like a home cooked meal.

And I think there's also nothing better than that than a home-cooked meal or having a significant other cooking for you or doing it together. Super fun. So I actually haven't gone out on Valentine's Day for a very long time because I was always working in the restaurant. But I love a good molten lava cake or cheesecake with raspberry sauce.

So I'm glad. it's Galentine's Day. There you No, Galentine's Day. That's what I'm going to do on February. OK, I'm with you. I'm with you. You know what? One of the things we haven't talked about yet that I thought was so interesting, and that is that you have been part of the Masters PGA tournament. Oh, yes. I haven't talked about this in a long time. OK, tell me about this. Are you still involved with this? I chose not to do it last year. So it's my first time not going.

I think after you do something for multiple years, it doesn't have a luster anymore. And I honestly went back the second and third time because of the relationships I made and the memories I made with the coworkers and it's different people from, it was mainly from like the Carolinas and down south, but it was people from all over. And it was these teams that just shut.

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and you were there for anywhere from two weeks to a month depending on what role you took. And the first time I got invited to the Masters, my resume ended up on somebody's desk. I don't know who, what, where, when, and how, but I got a phone call and I almost didn't take it, Sylvia. I was like, what is this Augusta number? And I'm not much of a golfer and I knew the Masters existed, but I didn't realize what it all entailed.

And at that point, I'm like, okay, I don't know what this is, but I'll answer it. And I was working at Gibson's Italia at the time, or no, the first time I wasn't working at Gibson's, but the second time I was. So this is like COVID years for the first time. So at that time, everybody really kind of was laid off, but the Masters, because they were doing it in the fall instead of the spring, because I think COVID rules may have lifted at that point in time, they were able to put on the tournament.

but on a smaller scale. So my first year.

was amazing. Between not only getting the experience and being a part of something that's very legendary. It was such a small team that I think I really got a different experience than most when we do participate in the tournament. you cook for the players or did you? Tell me about that. players dinners.

the championship dinners. It's just such a special thing to be a part of. Now, I didn't create the menus. The menus were already created before going in, but it was like a normal prep day into these dinners. Or depending on where you worked, I was put at the spring. It was one of the newer restaurant concepts that was a part of Augusta National. So the first year they opened, I was the pastry chef that oversaw.

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the spring. they kind of fly in teams, you're basically distributed to a property or spot on premise. And I was there for a month. I mean, talk about being a part of something. It was absolutely magical. And those girls I'm still friends with to this day, Courtney and Shannon. And it's really cool. Not only the relationships you make, but

just to see how people do things differently too. I've come from the country club world. I was the Dallas Country Club pastry chef for five years and this was just on a bigger grandiose scale than I've ever seen. And my first year, I think it was, I can't remember what call for it was, his championship dinner, but there was a production company there and they were filming for the ESPN.

kind of behind the scenes show of like how the master is it's created. So I got a little bit of TV time, which is fun. mean, we were all in masks because it was COVID year. So different precautions and steps needed to take that year. But yeah, so I got invited back the second year. it. And then of course, like you just have to I think it's like adult summer camp. Yeah, it truly is. Like they put you up in a hotel room and you have a rental car and you you know, you go to

You know, your promise that you're assigned to and you just do it all over again. But it's like 14 hour days, Sylvia. I mean, it's you're standing up for 14 hours a day. You know, the numbers you're doing are completely, you know, hundreds, like not 10, 20, 30. You're doing it on a massive scale. And you don't sleep. You don't sleep. Like you're up at 4 a.m. You go home at 10 p.m. It's definitely an experience. So I did it for a

third time. And then after that, I mean, at that point in time, I was the director of pastry for Boca. So it just wasn't worth going back. It was too much. And I had too much on my plate. And I was running five different concepts. And the time spent away from the restaurant for two weeks. It's a lot. Yeah, I am I can only imagine people would die to have that opportunity because

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I mean, it's a huge deal. You're surrounded by all these amazing famous golfers, which I love that you weren't much into the golf world. So you probably had no clue the first year anyway. people were when you're on your golf cart. I mean, I'm a female. Oh, he's cute. I wonder if he's But no, I just you were not allowed to. And just like kind of what the Cowboys do, like you're not allowed to talk to the football players.

You're working for Augusta National. You are not allowed to talk to the golfers. So it comes with the business. It's like any contract you sign. I think the really cool part of it though, I don't even know if I'm, I can probably talk about it. It's not a secret. So they open up the pro shop early to like the employees who are working. So I mean, you can imagine the merchandise that I can put with.

And what friends I would get phone calls, the orders that I would come home with. Luckily, they have a shipping center in the pro shop. So it's like, OK, here's this person's name, address. OK, ship that off to them. Ship that. Like I was getting Zelle's and Venmo's and I think one year merchandise like totaled up to six grand. Wow. Because so many people were like, I want a switcher. I want a polo. I want, you know, some memorabilia. Wow. You're a good friend to take the time to do that. OK.

Next, I want to talk about fried macarons. Tell me about this. yes. You invented this? What is this? So, gosh, we're going back like a good 10, 11, 12 years. So when I was in Dallas and I was working at the Dallas Country Club, I forget where I was out that night, but I was with a group of chef friends, socializing, eating dinner, having drinks, and one of the Sisville reps was there.

Now, Cisco that year, every year they put on the safer of Texas. Now some people think it's just kind of like this small hometown thing. It's not the taste of Chicago. This is a month long thing that Texas puts on in Dallas. And you can buy anything from cars and mattresses to walk around and entertain your kids with games and rides and installations. And there's

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fried food everywhere. It's Texas. So they have the craziest combinations. And Sissel, when I was talking to the guy that night, he wanted to create a fried s'more. I was kind of trying to fill out pastry chefs that would be up to the idea to kind of hand over this idea on how to execute it for the State Fair of Texas that year. I'm thinking to myself, you know me, Sylvia. I'm a hustler. I'm like, what? Tell me, like, what do I need to do when I make it happen?

So I'm like, why am I giving them this idea? Like, why don't I just create something myself? And literally people pay their mortgage and all, like during this month of like the State Fair of Texas working it. So these people, these vendors that create these fried items, kind of put it into the showcase prize. It's a contest and they get a lot of money. So I partnered up and I kind of

nuzzled my way into the I did my research. The year before that there was a man named Abel Gonzalez, who had won like consecutively for years in a row. And I don't remember what the fried item was. But I loved making French macarons. I was known for macarons in Dallas. And I made a lot of pies in Dallas too. So my

I wonder if there's something on the market that I can find that too. Like how would you deep fry? And there was the whole like idea behind the state for Texas. Like what can you fry? And I'm like, okay, what am I going to do? How am going to do this? And when I was making macarons one day, I had pie dough and I'm like, let's just see if this works. So I had

frozen the macaron with the filling, I encased it in pie dough and I fried it up. So I'm like, if you can encase an Oreo, right? Are you getting can encase some type of a cookie sandwich and fry it or even deep fry ice cream? Like some of these places, you know, in town have deep fried ice cream. I'm like, we can do this. Like I have the new crazed idea and it worked. So I called it the pie room. I basically went to

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to Able and was like, hey, I know you've won the last couple years. I've got the best new idea. was, I it was like 22 or 23 at the time. I was just, I was convinced. like, we've got the next Friday and we sold 12,000 units. We didn't win, but it was a learning experience to say the least. mean, I was still doing my full-time job 10 hours a day. I rented a commercial kitchen space.

I was making everything out of the commercial kitchen space, running to Restaurant Depot, buying all the ingredients. God bless my friends at the time because they were helping me. They didn't even have pastry experience, but so much went into this that I needed the help so bad that I was drowning. And they did it for free because they were just good friends. And plus you're good person. Lesson learned.

If I were to ever take something on that big again, I would have approached it in a way different way. I think sometimes we have these great ideas, but don't realize the work and the money that goes into it. So how fun though. I had pat on the back, didn't done it. I don't know that I'm trying to do it again. Okay. So now after our conversation, I'm going to remember you for three things. Number one, my focaccia I love your sky high pie, key lime pie.

Dow pi Rhoans, which is hilarious. Maybe they'll make a comeback some day. don't know where and when. Only in Texas, I always say. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Casey, so good to talk to you. can't wait to see what the future is going to bring because you're so good at what you do. You're so positive. I can't wait to see what's next. And let's get back together when you

Figure out what that next thing is. a pleasure to talk to you. Best of luck. I think I'm supposed to see you soon for the Chef's Collaboration Dinner. Give you big hug Ben. Absolutely. But best of luck and thanks for coming on Supper with Sylvia, my friend, and I hope to see you soon. And if anyone in town needs a pastry consultant, she's your girl. She is your girl. Thank you. Yes. Amazing. Thank you, Sylvia.

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Thanks for joining us for this episode of Supper with Sylvia. I'm Sylvia Perez. This podcast was produced by Jane Stephens with technical support and music by Donnie Cutting.