Jean Francois Houdre - Executive Pastry Chef
The iconic Westin St. Francis is the place to be for the holidays. From its superb location directly on Union Square, the heart of the city’s glamorous shopping mecca, and across the street from the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink, to the elegant holiday decorations, a magnificent 12-foot Sugar Castle, traditional holiday tea service, decadent meals and fun holiday packages, this is the perfect place to celebrate the season in style! This holiday season, The Westin St. Francis will be transformed into a festive oasis, embellished with spectacular holiday decorations created by Joe Vincent Designs. Upon entering the historic Main Lobby, a 15-foot, glimmering white and silver holiday tree decorated in energy saving LED lights will transcend into different colors. Families will delight in the whimsically adorned Tower Lobby, featuring a soaring 18-foot tall tree. A winter wonderland will be displayed over the front desk with clusters of beautiful metallic apple green and pale gold Christmas trees and an assortment of glittering green boxes surrounded by gold garland, patches of snow and clusters of dripping LED icicles adorning the length of the overhang. Sugar Castle Annual Debut - Join us in the Landmark Lobby on Wednesday, November 24th, from 10 – 11 a.m. for the highly anticipated annual debut of one of the country’s largest sugar castles! Created by Executive Pastry Chef, Jean-Francois Houdré, this marvelous, 12-foot rotating masterpiece grows larger and more spectacular each year. Inspired by a French Chateau from Chef Houdre’s hometown of Bordeaux, the 100% edible castle weighs more than 1,200 pounds and features more than 20 grand circular towers, approximately 30 rooms, illuminated windows and is surrounded by silver sugar trees, stars and snowflakes made out of pastillage, chocolate balls in brilliant colors and elves constructed out of marzipan. Complimentary hot chocolate will be served. The Sugar Castle will be on display November 24 - January 3.
Joanne Chang - Flour Bakery & Cafe (and Cookbook)
An honors graduate of Harvard College with a degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics, Joanne left a career as a management consultant to enter the world of professional cooking. She started as garde-manger cook at Boston's renowned Biba restaurant, then worked as a pastry cook at Bentonwood Bakery in Newton, and in 1995 was hired as Pastry Chef at Rialto restaurant in Cambridge. Joanne moved to New York City in 1997 to work in the cake department of the critically acclaimed Payard Patisserie and Bistro. Returning to Boston a year later with dreams of opening up her own pastry shop, she brought her French and American training to Mistral where she was the Pastry Chef until summer of 2000. In 2000, she opened Flour, a bakery and café, in Boston's South End. Flour features breakfast pastries, breads, cakes, cookies, and tarts as well as sandwiches, soups, and salads. In 2007 she opened a second branch of Flour in the Fort Point Channel area and in 2010 a third branch in Cambridge near MIT and Central Square. Flour has been featured in Gourmet, Food&Wine, Bon Appetit, the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Lucky Magazine, Inc. Magazine, and Boston Magazine and has received numerous Best of Boston awards. Flour was also featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network in which Joanne's sticky buns won over Chef Flay's. Joanne's energetic commitment to excellence extends beyond the kitchen. She writes pastry articles and reviews cookbooks for Fine Cooking magazine. She teaches classes and advises pastry cooks both within the bakery and at area cooking schools. She opened a Chinese restaurant called Myers + Chang with her husband Christopher Myers in the South End neighborhood in the fall of 2007. An avid runner, she has competed in every Boston Marathon from 1991 - 2006.