Here at The Dorset, dessert is an integral part of our menu. From trifles to puddings, each dish will delight your tastebuds and deliver a taste of Britain’s best.
But how do our desserts go from idea to reality? With a little help from our talented Executive Pastry Chef, Alessandra Bustamante, a self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades with an impressive history in dessertmaking. Whether she’s teaching our dessert chefs how to craft the perfect bonbon or whipping up her take on a British delicacy, there’s never a dull moment with Chef Alessandra.
Join us as we walk you through her inspiring story.
Sweet beginnings
Chef Alessandra’s story begins in the Philippines, where she grew up. Her grandmother owned a small hole-in-the-wall pastry shop. “I’d walk through the kitchens and snack on whatever the cooks in the kitchen would give me,” she recalls.
Surprisingly, this isn’t what inspired her to pursue a career in the culinary arts. She had her sights set on art school and only applied to pastry and culinary school on a whim.
“I went to culinary school because I felt like it was an essential life skill. After finishing the program, I worked in the kitchen but felt more inspired by the work they did at the pastry stations. I decided to ask for pastry shifts and loved it, so I went back to school to learn all the basics. As the saying goes… the rest was history!”
After graduating from pastry school at George Brown College here in Toronto, Chef Alessandra dove head-first into the professional world. She first secured an internship at Oliver & Bonacini’s own Luma in the TIFF Lightbox, which connected her with many of the O&B chefs who mentor her to this day.
A growing culinary career
Chef Alessandra then moved to London, England, where she worked in the pastry department of a luxury hotel with a restaurant that served contemporary British cuisine and afternoon tea.
Following this, she returned to Canada and worked at Auberge du Pommier, a well-established French restaurant in the O&B family. Although she originally planned to return to Europe, the pandemic caused her to switch directions. “It was a challenging roadblock that I didn’t see coming, but it allowed me to grow my career here in Toronto.”
Having honed her skills in a fine dining setting at Auberge du Pommier, Chef Alessandra continued to expand her pastry knowledge by working at popular Toronto establishments including Blackbird Bakery, Alo, and SOMA Chocolatemaker. She learned valuable lessons along the way, such as the intricacies of bean-to-bar chocolate making at SOMA. “This was an entirely new experience for me. I had never done that in such a large, factory-like setting,” she recalls.
According to Chef Alessandra, pastry chefs are considered jacks-of-all-trades in the culinary world, so her specialized experiences added considerably to her foundational knowledge from school. “I’ve gotten to know, and learn from, so many more talented people who work with things like chocolate, ice cream, or bread specifically,” she explains. “Part of being a pastry chef in a restaurant requires being skilled enough at all of them.”
In the midst of her adventures across different kitchens in Toronto, she crossed paths with O&B Executive Chef Ryan Lister, who invited her to join him at The Dorset and La Plume. She plays an integral role at both restaurants; here at The Dorset, she creates British-inspired delicacies, and next door at La Plume, her desserts are more inspired by traditional French techniques.
Days at The Dorset
Our restaurant is inspired by Chef Ryan’s seaside hometown of Weymouth, Dorset in England. “Our food here is inspired by the British coast and countryside. It’s a contemporary take on the traditional dishes Chef Ryan and our Chef de Cuisine Rob both grew up with,” says Chef Alessandra. Joining the team gave her an exciting opportunity to use her culinary skills in new, imaginative ways as she develops recipes that reflect British flavours.
This research and development is one of her favourite parts of being a pastry chef. She uses a combination of knowledge from pastry school and work experience along with reference books as a starting point. Notable volumes include Desseralité by Jessica Prealpato, A Good Bake by Melissa Weller, and anything written by award-winning pastry chef Francisco Migoya. She even consults art books for ideas on composition and plating. Throw in some valuable input from Chef Ryan and Chef de Cuisine Rob to guide her, and the possibilities are endless.
“Coming up with new ideas can be challenging, but I always remind myself that I don’t necessarily have to reinvent the wheel,” she explains. “I often have to pull back a bit and avoid overcomplicating things.”
Try, try, and try again
As with most things in life, developing recipes requires Chef Alessandra to power through when things don’t go according to plan. “Very rarely do I get something right right off the bat,” she says.
Our soda bread, for example, took five attempts to get just right. “There are four different flours I use in it for different flavour and structural purposes,” she explains. She created different batches of bread using various ratios of ingredients and presented each one to Chef Ryan and our team. Once they found the perfect ratio, they knew they had created something special.
While going back to the drawing board is a natural part of her job, Chef Alessandra admits that it can be tough. “Sometimes, it’s hard to not let it get to you. Failing requires a lot of analysis. With pastries, there are so many ways that things can go wrong, and adjusting the tiniest detail is the answer you need. But at the end of the day, I always try to reframe my failures as learning opportunities.”
Talking the talk, walking the walk
Once the dishes have been developed, it’s time for a crucial step: teaching our team how to execute each plate to the highest standard. “Teaching is another part of this job that I really enjoy because it’s not necessarily an easy thing to do,” Chef Alessandra shares. She has an incredible ability to meet each chef where they’re at and adjust her teaching style based on how they learn best.
“Some people want to watch me make a dessert, other people like to write down the recipe before they start working,” she explains. “It’s very rewarding to work on such a talented team and help other chefs reach their full potential.”
We’d love for you to try one of Chef Alessandra’s creations along with the rest of our delicious British menu! For a truly memorable experience, enjoy Taste of the Dorset, our new six-course tasting menu that includes dessert. Book your table today!