Who are we?
Just two women from opposing coasts—-who met by chance in the middle. We share a love for technique, savory-esque sweets, and telling stories through food.
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Boulanger/Chef PatissierAn East Coast native, born and raised in a small town outside of Philadelphia, PA began her career slinging pretzels in a local farmers market. Her journey through the service industry has been nothing close to traditional.
The true start of her career began in Cincinnati, OH—after studying Operations Management, German, and English Literature at the University of Cincinnati. A kin to many chef’s journey she transitioned from a student to that of a savory chef—working for James Beard Nominated restaurants such as Salazar, Mitas, Please, and Nada—her foundational knowledge rooted deeply in savory food and technique.
From there she journeyed throughout the industry learning the most she could from full animal butchery, craft cocktail bartending, pasta production, and the art of hospitality. Once the world seemed to end during the 2020 pandemic, her husband Gene Turner and she began a food service company designed to recreate the experience of fine dining within one’s home.
With the passion and desire to learn something new—Lou decided to focus her efforts on further rounding out her knowledge with that of viennoiserie. She began with logically the “easiest” thing to master—laminated pastry. Throwing herself fully into the research and art of viennoiserie, eventually she began wholesaling pastries to local coffee shops in the Cincinnati area. These efforts bloomed into her ability to open a bakery in the heart of historic Findlay Market.
Making the decision to start over on a new pathway, Lou moved on to Chicago, IL focusing all her efforts in the continuation of her learning beyond her specialization in lamination.
After working at Oriole, she landed at Obelix as the Head Baker—a continuation of sharing her craft with the community of Chicago.
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In long winded conclusion—Lou is a uniquely skilled chef, with the unusual perspective of a pastry with savory chef roots. Her food comes from an entirely different perspective, not one of a traditional pastry chef or of midwestern origin—but one of a perpetual student focused on sharing experiences through food.
Her inspiration is deeply rooted in her PA Dutch (Pennsylvania German) heritage in combination with emulating different experiences and emotions through her dishes.
The point of food is sharing our experiences and thus bringing our community and family together as a result. Lou attempts to do so in a snarky and joyous way—
Check out her recent work here.
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Chef Patissier
A West Coast native, born and raised on the outskirts of Seattle, Alana began her career—starting her journey in French Pastry school. Completing her schooling she honed her craft working between Chicago, IL and Seattle, WA at notable restaurants such as Canlis, Sepia, Jeong—most recently Executive Pastry Chef at Oriole and Vendador and currently Pastry Chef at H I S Hospitality (Omakase Yume, Bonyeon)
Alana’s perspective of food comes from the unique perspective of a creator and artist more so than a chef. She takes stock of perspective and design when designing dishes—more recently drawing inspiration from stones, nature, and ceramics.
Her pastry is heavily inspired by her Taiwanese-American heritage, combining Eastern style textures such as jellies and ice creams—infusing them into her dishes with nostalgic western flavors. She embodies the savory flavors of Taiwan, Korea, and Japan—entwining them with traditional French pastry technique without the sugar hangover.
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Alana wishes to compose dishes that emulate beauty while standing boldly in flavor and texture. Her personality exudes from everything she creates, soft and gentle while still omitting a journey of bright and bold flavors.
Ultimately, she wants to share her childhood experiences and culture through a medium that can be accessible to all.
Check out her recent work here