Crème de la crème

Three pastry chefs hit the sweet spot

By RYAN ROSE WEAVER

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Pastry chefs are the unsung heroes of the kitchen. They come in early and stay late. They're rarely listed with top billing on the menu. They're not often courted by the press. Which, it turns out, is why they're inclined to be down-to-earth. But is it really so surprising that they tend to be endearing, when the tools of their trade are sugar and chocolate?

JOANNE CHANG | MYERS + CHANG

Joanne Chang, who's made a name for herself with her sticky buns at Flour Bakery, brings the comfort cuisine of her own Taiwanese family to Myers + Chang, where she and restaurateur Christopher Myers (the two married just weeks ago) serve dumplings the way she remembered making them—by hand. Her baking skills also shine in the savory scallion pancakes and perfectly steamed pork belly buns.

With a book for beginning bakers underway, Chang says she prefers the simpler world of bakeries to the high-end restaurants where she used to chef (including Mistral and Rialto).

"I always felt that a lot of manipulation went into restaurant desserts," she says.

She also thinks that the world of baking, like Asian food, is overly mystified, an unfortunate fact that keeps many would-be cooks out of the kitchen.

"All you need is confidence," she says. "And a willingness to try things and flub up."

[1145 Washington St., Boston. 617.542.5200. myersandchang.com]

TRENA COSTELLO | THE LANGHAM, BOSTON

"People's eyes light up when I tell them I'm a pastry chef," Trena Costello says. "It's like I'm Santa and it's Christmas."

After a career of living and working around the world, Costello joined the Langham Hotel last January as an assistant pastry chef and quickly rose to head pastry chef. It's not hard to see why: Costello, an unpretentious young chef who's quick to crack a joke, gives off the healthy, happy vibe of an athlete in her prime.

Costello takes on a dessert decathlon this fall: the hotel's 20th anniversary of the storied Chocolate Bar buffet, featuring stations for "past," "present" and "future" desserts. Costello suffers from celiac disease (her body can't process gluten), so she's most excited about a handful of items on her "future" menu that are, respectively, nut-free, gluten-free and animal by-product free. Her goal is to make sure that no one at the Chocolate Bar feels left out.

She puts it this way: "If everyone's having a cookie, you know can have a cookie too."

[250 Franklin St., Boston. 617.451.1900. boston.langhamhotels.com]

CLARE GARLAND | ASHMONT GRILL

Claire Garland, a Massachusetts native with 38 first cousins, has been baking since she was a teenager. Today, her repertoire includes homemade Hoodsie Cups, whoopie pies, from-scratch ice cream and her mother-in-law's carrot cake recipe.

The Ashmont Grill suits her: It's a neighborhood spot in an unusually pure sense. During its construction, several Dorchester residents became mini-investors in the restaurant; they've now become regulars who frequently give Garland feedback, usually in the form of hand-scribbled notes (and they'll never let sticky toffee pudding leave the menu).

It's hard not to be jealous of Garland's three kids, who can eat her transcendent blueberry pie anytime. Garland evokes that cool mom from your childhood who's always stirring something while she listens to your troubles.

As for her own inspiration, Garland simply takes what's in season, uses it the best she can and freezes the rest (usually in sorbet form).

"I just think about what I would want to eat if I were at someone's house," says Garland. "And then I make that."

[555 Talbot Ave., Dorchester. 617.825.4300. ashmontgrill.com]