CHEF YESENIA JARQUIN
BIO
Inspired by fond memories of baking with her grandfather in Oaxaca, Mexico, Yesenia Jarquin pursued a career in pastry after taking cooking and home economic classes in school and has never looked back. She attended Le Cordon Bleu before joining the team at Cherokee Town & Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia where she assisted with the bread program, prepared and plated the fine-dining menus, and later managed all banquet desserts. From there, she moved to Washington, D.C. and began working at Centrolina during its inaugural year. She then moved on to spend the next years learning from the teams at Range by Brian Voltaggio and being part of the opening team as pastry sous chef of The Line Hotel (DC), later returning to Centrolina as Pastry Sous Chef to assist with the opening of sister restaurant, Piccolina, in August 2019. Yesenia was promoted to Executive Pastry Chef of Centrolina and Piccolina in 2021. In January 2024 she joined the Clydes Restaurant Group as Pastry Chef for The Hamilton.
Q&A
What inspired you to enter the world of pastry?
My grandfather, he was a baker and he inspired me do this as a career.
Where do you find inspiration for your creations?
In memories and nostalgia. I want my desserts to offer comfort and the warm feeling of a time past.
Who in your life has been the biggest mentor/inspiration in your career?
My grandfather inspired me to begin my career, and he's the reason I do what I do. My mentor has been my first pastry chef, Alex Hwang. She pushes me to be the best I can be, her passion inspires me. I am the chef I am today thanks to her.
How is your team responding to the new realities of the world during and eventually post-COVID-19?
Its been tough, everything in the restaurant industry is different since covid. We just take it day by day and have to be flexible and adapt.
What Social Responsibility/Community initiative are you the most proud of taking part in?
I'm part of a group of pastry chefs and food writers that come together to sell our cookie boxes and raise money for local organizations here in DC.
What are your hopes for the future of the world of food and pastry?
I hope that pastry gets more appreciation from the whole restaurant industry and the community as a whole. A lot of people see our job as “easy and fun” and when a restaurant makes budget cuts, pastry is usually the first to get hurt. I wish that everyone would understand how much skill, knowledge and patience it takes to be a good pastry chef.
What should the role of the food/pastry industry be in the community? The world? The environment?
Food is basically the center of everything, and dessert its happy ending.
What is your earliest dessert memory?
Growing up I used to go to the town square with my grandmother and mother often, and we would walk down the street and seeing the street vendors selling their sweet pastries and cookies and sitting down for ice cream or sorbet. And always taking home a bag of sweet treats for coffee time later.
If you could pass one bit of insight down to a chef just getting their start, what would it be?
Be mindful of your mental health. In the restaurant industry there is a lot of burn out, so I always advice to maintain healthy boundaries between your career and your personal life. Love your job and be passionate but remember to save time to take care of yourself.
What is your favorite perk of the Cercle V program?
So many to choose from, but I love the sense of community and personalization. I feel the support of Valrhona when I'm using their products.
When & how did you hear about Valrhona for the first time? / When & how did your “relationship” with Valrhona start?
When I first started my career as a pastry cook I remember loving those “oval shaped” chocolates in the shop! Then I started recognizing the name Valrhona as I moved around places, then my friend Caitlin first introduced me to the cercle V program.
RAPID FIRE:
Nickname?
Yessi
Celsius or Fahrenheit?
Celsius
Favorite Valrhona Chocolate?
Dulcey!
Favorite restaurant?
Teds bulletin! Me and my husband go for breakfast every week for the last 8 years or so. It holds a nostalgic place in our hearts.
Favorite flavor pairing with chocolate?
Coffee!!!!
Go to snack?
Popcorn
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee!
Favorite kitchen tool?
The ol’ faithful offset spatula
Who do you follow on social media?
From pastry chefs, to meme pages! A little bit of everything.
Favorite type of dessert to make? To eat?
I love to make layered cakes!
To eat, I love custards!
DISCOVER THE WARM CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH RED WINE POACHED PEARS BY YESENIA JARQUIN
