Passionfruit Coconut Tart
Pastry Chef Chantell Kayodd puts together flavors that wow.
C’est Délicieux
Hoosier pastry chef brings Parisian treats back home
There is something infinitely soothing about working with dough. This goes for all doughs, but pastry chef Chantell Kayodd’s favorite is puff pastry: rolling it out, folding in dry butter, resting, repeating, creating the many layers that give the dough its French name: feuilletée.
“It’s oddly therapeutic,” she says. “And I would rather make 100 croissants than make a batch of macarons.”
Puff pastry even inspired the name of her business: Beurre Sec. Beurre sec (dry butter) refers to the pliable butter with a high fat content preferred by chefs to laminate pastry.
Kayodd, who grew up in Marion County with a Ukrainian mother and Iranian father, is well-versed in making myriad pastries and desserts and her creations would turn heads even in Parisian patisseries. She trained in Paris at the pastry program of Le Cordon Bleu as well as taking bread essentials at Ferrandi. She returned to Indiana as a highly skilled pastry chef capable of turning out artisanal breads, layering cakes with the smoothest mousses and creating all manner of viennoiseries (breakfast pastries such as chocolatine, croissant and brioche).
Kayodd puts together flavors that wow—her passionfruit tart featured here is but one example.
Just look at her Instagram posts to know artistry is her second nature. Her decoration skills and natural flair for color are evident in all her creations, from complex entremets to delicate mignardises (bite-sized desserts). Her family gravitates towards arts, she says, and they inspire her. In fact, her brother, a graphic designer, helped her create the brand identity for Beurre Sec.
Kayodd currently only does pop-ups at Lulu’s Coffee and Bakehouse located in northern Indianapolis. She worked at the bakery prior to embarking on her Paris pastry adventure and knows its owner, Sejal Patel, well. “Sejal Patel is amazing and so generously lets me use her kitchen space,” Kayodd says. “She’s the best employer I’ve ever had and truly cares about her staff.”
She is working on finding a retail space for Beurre Sec, where she plans to offer a regular menu of a few staple items, adding seasonal items that will change every few months. There will be breads and cakes galore, but the puff pastry lover reveals: “Viennoiseries will be the primary focus of Beurre Sec.” Follow Beurre Sec on Instagram @beurre_sec
Pop-ups at Lulu’s Coffee and Bakehouse
2292 W. 86th St.
Indianapolis
Follow Lulu’s Coffee and Bakehouse on Instagram @luluscoffeeandbake
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