Katie McAllister, Pastry Chef, Winged Foot Golf Club / recipe to right: Chocolate Oysters
You are very new to Winged Foot. How did this come about?
My mother grew up on Long Island with Suzie Leslie, whose husband Tom is the President of Winged Foot. They were looking for a pastry chef and asked me if I would be interested. I decided to pursue the opportunity and Tom invited me to contact Rhy Waddington. It all came together, and I am grateful for the support, but also have some big expectations to fulfill for sure!
What were you doing before Winged Foot?
I was managing a bakery called Tribeca Treats in Manhattan. It was a small business that specialized in custom cakes and cupcakes. I was the general manager and chef there, which was a significant departure from what I had been doing. I can’t say that I loved it, and can’t say I hated it - it was just different. Before that, I worked for a restaurant group called Mercer Street Hospitality based in Soho, who were recognized mostly for Lure Fishbar and Bowery Meat Company. When I started with them, they only had one restaurant, and when I left, they had five restaurants in their group. I grew with them and helped them open the new restaurants, and I was the pastry chef for four of them. I went from this large restaurant group based in Soho to this sleepy little bakery, so it was a big change, so I’m happy to be back in more of a fast-paced kitchen environment here at Winged Foot.
When did you gain an interest in pastries and desserts?
I think the artistic side of desserts is something that always appealed to me. As a child, I loved arts and crafts and took art lessons after school, and as an adult, I do wheel pottery - I love being artistic and working with my hands. My father is a CPA, and growing up he owned a restaurant as a side business. Since he owned this restaurant, he decided that he wanted to go to culinary school, so he did weekend classes at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). From a young age, I could see this culinary school option for me, and it was intriguing to me. We did a lot of cooking at home, but I found the baking to be more fun. Both of my parents are great cooks, but my aunt was the baker, and she used to make these cool cakes for us as kids. My brother was really into trains, and she made this huge elaborate train cake and taught me how to make meringues and whipped cream. As far back as I can remember, the only gifts I asked for at Christmas were red lollipops- so my obsession with sweets has been around since I was a little child.
You started here in this brand new kitchen. What was that experience like, after coming from Manhattan kitchens?
The size of just the pastry kitchen here was the size of the entire kitchen at the last restaurants [Laughs]. It was well-built and thought-out. I have a room with a door, a built-in air conditioning system, humidity and air control - it is amazing! It enables me to think more creatively about chocolate and sugar work since the environment is conducive to that. You can’t create great chocolate and sugar pieces when you have a flaming hotline just four feet away. It’ll melt! [Laughs].
How have you changed the dessert menu since your started here?
Rhy had a lot of faith in my pastry and dessert skills and gave me free reign to be creative, for which I’m enormously grateful. The entire dessert menu is mine!
How are the members reacting?
So far, I’ve gotten some excellent feedback on various dishes, and I’m excited to do more detailed creations as I get a larger staff and a little bit more time. It’s been great feedback, and it’s certainly been fun.
My mother grew up on Long Island with Suzie Leslie, whose husband Tom is the President of Winged Foot. They were looking for a pastry chef and asked me if I would be interested. I decided to pursue the opportunity and Tom invited me to contact Rhy Waddington. It all came together, and I am grateful for the support, but also have some big expectations to fulfill for sure!
What were you doing before Winged Foot?
I was managing a bakery called Tribeca Treats in Manhattan. It was a small business that specialized in custom cakes and cupcakes. I was the general manager and chef there, which was a significant departure from what I had been doing. I can’t say that I loved it, and can’t say I hated it - it was just different. Before that, I worked for a restaurant group called Mercer Street Hospitality based in Soho, who were recognized mostly for Lure Fishbar and Bowery Meat Company. When I started with them, they only had one restaurant, and when I left, they had five restaurants in their group. I grew with them and helped them open the new restaurants, and I was the pastry chef for four of them. I went from this large restaurant group based in Soho to this sleepy little bakery, so it was a big change, so I’m happy to be back in more of a fast-paced kitchen environment here at Winged Foot.
When did you gain an interest in pastries and desserts?
I think the artistic side of desserts is something that always appealed to me. As a child, I loved arts and crafts and took art lessons after school, and as an adult, I do wheel pottery - I love being artistic and working with my hands. My father is a CPA, and growing up he owned a restaurant as a side business. Since he owned this restaurant, he decided that he wanted to go to culinary school, so he did weekend classes at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). From a young age, I could see this culinary school option for me, and it was intriguing to me. We did a lot of cooking at home, but I found the baking to be more fun. Both of my parents are great cooks, but my aunt was the baker, and she used to make these cool cakes for us as kids. My brother was really into trains, and she made this huge elaborate train cake and taught me how to make meringues and whipped cream. As far back as I can remember, the only gifts I asked for at Christmas were red lollipops- so my obsession with sweets has been around since I was a little child.
You started here in this brand new kitchen. What was that experience like, after coming from Manhattan kitchens?
The size of just the pastry kitchen here was the size of the entire kitchen at the last restaurants [Laughs]. It was well-built and thought-out. I have a room with a door, a built-in air conditioning system, humidity and air control - it is amazing! It enables me to think more creatively about chocolate and sugar work since the environment is conducive to that. You can’t create great chocolate and sugar pieces when you have a flaming hotline just four feet away. It’ll melt! [Laughs].
How have you changed the dessert menu since your started here?
Rhy had a lot of faith in my pastry and dessert skills and gave me free reign to be creative, for which I’m enormously grateful. The entire dessert menu is mine!
How are the members reacting?
So far, I’ve gotten some excellent feedback on various dishes, and I’m excited to do more detailed creations as I get a larger staff and a little bit more time. It’s been great feedback, and it’s certainly been fun.
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