As former Pastry Chef and Chocolatier, he has a love all things dessert. Andrew Sutton talks us through his newest venture; a.dessertbar and how he hopes to inspire young chefs coming into the industry.
The Staff Canteen spoke to Andrew to find out more about a.dessertbar and how finding unusual flavour combinations allows him to unleash his creativity and how the concept has been received by both customers and his fellow chefs.
Chocolate Mint Burnt Coffee
a.dessertbar
Andrew has recently launched a new concept of dining. a.dessertbar is all about pairing the highest quality drinks with the highest quality desserts.
“The dessert bar for me has always been a passion to open up something that is a little bit new,” said Andrew. He hopes that by pairing up desserts with drinks such as champagne, wine and cocktails that this will create a new dining experience
Breaking the rules
Andrew explains that he is all about pushing boundaries but when it comes to flavours he tries to keep it as straightforward as possible.
“For food and drinks, it is all about flavour for me. It’s as simple as possible but trying to do something special that you cannot get anywhere else.”
An open mind
Alongside this, Andrew believes that it is important for people to come to him with an open mind and be willing to try something new and a little bit different. “Some of the things I work on are very unique and so we have to think about how we go about selling the desserts. We try to remove people's past food experience whether they have been positive or negative.”
What is the PX + Festival?
The PX + festival is a brand new festival which is all about celebrating hospitality. Like with other festivals, there will be lots of food, drink, music and fun, but guests will get to enjoy demonstrations and talks from the likes of Dan Doherty, Matt Worswick, Martin Morales and many more.
You can win a pair of ‘access all areas’ tickets in our latest competition. It is really easy to enter, simply visit our PX + competition page to find out more.
General sale tickets for PX+ Festival are on sale now and can be found at www.pxplusfestival.com
Andrew has received an immense amount of support from his friends, family and people from the chef community, he said: “Other chefs are pretty impressed with how the concept works but they would never do it themselves. I think its one of those things where if you are crazy enough to think about it you can do it.”
Inspiring others
Andrew hopes that by launching this new concept of dining it will allow for more young chefs to get involved in the industry and follow their passions.
Andrew Sutton
“It is creating a platform for young chefs to come and experience what it is like to bring their dreams to life. When I was working in the industry I found it very hard because it is not very creative in many kitchens.”
Andrew added: “I want to have this platform for younger chefs, to say I have this idea and I really want to do it and work together and create some really cool moments for them.”
PX + Festival
Andrew will be displaying his pairings at the first PX+ Festival which takes place in late August. The festival aims to give the hospitality industry the chance to come together to create, share and celebrate their work.
Parsnip, long pepper and pistachio
Those who attend PX+ will be able to see and taste Andrew’s creations. “We’ve got four sessions lined up which will be ticketed for about fifteen people and there will be a three or four-course taster meal. Alongside this, there will also be a few seminars and lectures with me where I talk about the food industry and why I want to change it,” says Andrew.
Andrew has exclusively revealed to The Staff Canteen one of the pairings which people can try at PX+.
“It’s my own take on a lemon meringue pie which is a lemon curd sorbet with a violet snow and a mini meringue with a mint oil. While the cocktail is gin-based with a violet liqueur and a little bit of homemade mint essence and homemade lemon cordial.”
Andrew explains that he is looking forward to attending the event and displaying his pairings of food and drink what he has worked on over the year. “I like being surrounded by like-minded people and showcasing what I do and my attitude towards food and the food scene.”
Andrew has been preparing for PX+ and hopes to give the opportunity to some young chefs who are interested in the dessert industry to work alongside him. “I would like to give the chance to a couple of young chefs who are passionate about pastry and who want to try something different.”
Future plans
When it comes to looking forward to the future Andrew has an idea of what he would like to see happen with a.dessertbar. “In my mind, it is set up like a cocktail bar where you can sit at the bar and get served by the chefs.”
”Lemon Meringue Pie” the addition of
violet & thyme makes this a
truly special dessert.
He added: “The way I live my life is through human connections and how I can learn things from different people because you are never going to know everything.”
Andrew has no plans in opening a restaurant for a long period of time. He hopes to take his love for the world and his business idea and combine the two. “I’d love to take it to some of the big cities for six months and from there the style will grow naturally by meeting different people and trying different ingredients - that is the dream.”
The destinations on the agenda for Andrew include cities in Europe but he would also love to open up in some places further afield. “Zurich, Barcelona and I’d love to do a stint in Copenhagen and London and then some places in Asia because they love all sweet things.”
For the rest of the year, Andrew explains that nothing is set in stone, but there will be a master class cocktail and dessert night happening in May alongside a bartender from Dandelyan.
By Naomi Doddridge
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