In a competitive dining scene, restaurants need to constantly evolve in order to draw customers. For longtime favorite Sidney Street Cafe, a restaurant with a loyal, somewhat fanatical following, changes must come slowly and deliberately and have a sense of purpose lest they alienate the clientele. The decision to bring on pastry chef Christy Augustin has allowed the restaurant to move away from premade bakery desserts and offer diners a selection of inspired creations that mesh perfectly with the savory side of the menu.
Kevin and Mina Nashan actually built out an entire pastry kitchen for their foray into sweets.
When Kevin and Mina took over this restaurant, it was always part of their plan. This restaurant has such a great history. It’s been here so long that he wanted to be very mindful of any changes that he might make, that they were made in the right way and for the right reasons. We got [the pastry] kitchen functioning in September but the [decision to move forward] with it was made maybe a year before. Then it was six months of getting the drawings and making the decisions about what equipment was going to go in here.
Not many restaurants have a pastry chef, let alone a pastry kitchen.
It’s definitely a luxury. It’s an expensive endeavor, and not a lot of restaurants can afford to do that. This was just a natural evolution, to bring in a personal touch and to be able to make everything we possibly can.
What’s staying on the menu?
We’ll never get rid of the turtle brownies. We used to get our desserts from Cravings and a cheesecake from Hank’s, but there’s a woman who’s always made the turtle brownies. So she actually came in and gave me a lesson and had a teary moment with Kevin. It was really sweet of her to do that. For me, it’s important that the menu be seasonally focused. If I can’t do that, then the [dessert menu] will become stagnant, and I don’t want that. So other than the brownies, I don’t think there’s anything that will always stay. I’d like to always have some type of beignet because we start our meals out with beignets.
So what else are you playing with? I see you’re using kumquats, which is a pretty unique fruit to work with.
Kevin and I are actually both using this. I’m making what I call a citrus salsa. So it’s blood oranges, candied kumquats, candied Meyer lemon peel, candied ginger and mint. It goes with olive-oil pound cake.
How did you get into pastry?
I got a degree in psychology and did a horrible job; it made me miserable. Then somebody said, “Why don’t you do this for a living?” I was always bringing cakes and cookies and making ice cream and all that stuff. I went to Florida Culinary in West Palm Beach. There aren’t that many schools that give you a degree in just pastry; I did almost two years of just pastry. It’s intense. I know a lot of the science behind things … and that helps me to be experimental. A lot of pastry chefs will tell you that you have to follow a recipe, that everything’s a formula. That’s true, but if you understand the formula, you can break it.
Give me an example.
The sweet-potato beignets. As long as you know how bread works and how yeast works and how sugar works, you can figure out if you can add a little bit more sugar or you can add yeast to make it even bigger. If you understand how sugar works, you can make so many kinds of candy. You can take something, like a kumquat, that’s sour and bitter and not all that fun to eat by itself and turn it into a confection that is clear and jellied.
When you came on, what did Kevin say that he was looking for?
It’s more important than just having good dessert; we had great bakery desserts. But here, Kevin wanted that to be more personal. If a pastry chef can round out the dining experience for any restaurant, it means so much. Because Kevin and I have the same philosophy on dessert, we’re hoping that it’s seamless and that the entire menu goes together really well.
How did you and Kevin collaborate?
He asked me, “What are your philosophies on dessert?” I just said that I like to do the classics, but I like to maybe change the flavor. Maybe it is a beignet, but it’s sweet potato. Or it’s a pound cake, but it has olive oil in it. He gives me ideas for pastry and I give him ideas for savory. ‘Cause sometimes they’ll try something and be like, “What’s it missing?” And I’ll say, “It’s missing sour.” Or they’ll let me know, “You need salt in that.”
You like adding savory elements?
One of my most favorite things to cook with are herbs. I love herbs; … basil and fruit is a wonderful combination. It goes great with peaches. It goes great with berries. And it’s surprising to people, but if you can put it with something that’s traditional and simple … I hope our customers will appreciate that.
What will people find on your menu now?
The olive-oil cake with Meyer lemon cream and the citrus salsa. The beignets. And I have my “mantastic” dessert: It’s an oatmeal stout cake, so it’s made with Guinness and oatmeal. It’s got a chewy, crumbly top that has oatmeal and almonds. It comes with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch pudding. So far, all the guys in the kitchen are like, “This is my favorite dessert yet.” Yeah, ’cause it’s mantastic!
This article appears in Feb 1-29, 2008.