Franciane Tartari

‪Franciane Tartari came 3:rd in last years Pastry chef of the year competition in Sweden, she was head pastry chef for the Culinary Team of Luxembourg, she has won the International Sugar trophy and currently works as head pastry chef at the Castle Terrace restaurant in Edinburgh. I asked Franciane some questions:

Where did you study to become a pastry chef?
– I started to work in Brazil where there we don’t have a restaurant school, just private universities for the people that can afford it. But if you start work when you are around 14-15 years old then you learn the profession. If you then are so lucky to get a job at a good bakery, then you learn even more.

What is most fun with your profession?
– To have the freedom to create different pastries and also had to have the freedom to create what ever I want sometimes. I love when someone tells me to just do as I want, and create something for them. That is so much fun!

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever created?
– A black penis cake with Chantilly spray cream, that was just so crazy!

Your favourite food country?
– I love the Italian and Japanese kitchen, but the Brazilian kitchen will always be my favourite! I will always cherish the rice and beans I ate during my childhood. All of this is my childhood, because my family is from Italy and I grew up in a city that had been colonised by the Japanese during the war.

What gives you inspiration?
– The exotic things, A mix of flavours like sour, candy, nuts and herbs that together will give you a taste explosion in your mouth. They are not so exotic when you eat them one and one, but together they taste exciting and the combinations can be fantastic! For example a porcini mousse with some almonds and fermented honey!!

What kitchen gadget can you not be without?
– My Kenwood mixer!

Could you tell me one of your best food memories?
-When I was young and it rained, and I came home totally soaking wet and angry. Then I laid eye on a “rainy banana cake” at the table and got really happy again. The cake was covered with cinnamon and sugar, and it was served with some lemongrass tea.

Do you have some favourite bakery? 
– Natacha Patisserie in Barcelona has an amazing chilling system, and an amazing system to organise everything. Their wild strawberry cake makes you want to lick it all up!

‪What do you do in 5 years time? ‬
– ‪I have my own pastry shop, and hopefully we sell my books there to!

A must for you at Christmas?

-I I love eating all the Christmas food, to be with my family and share everything. My family in Brazil is very big, my father has 10 siblings and my mother has 10 siblings, and then everyone has 3-5 kids each so you can imagine how it is! But it’s so much fun, we cook together all the time and have sleepovers! My musts for Christmas is turkey, duck confit, Greek rice with raisins, bacon, corn and carrots and Farofa which is made with cassava flour, fried onion, butter, chives and parsley. Pudim for dessert, it’s an Brazilian creme caramel that is made with condensed milk and Manjar a coconut flan with plum and passionfruit mousse.

Interview and photo by Malin Nordblom

Fab Foodie Swede

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The interview was first published in Swedish at www.gourmet.se