I had the pleasure of meeting a great baker and chef through Instagram, and decided to have him as my first chef to highlight through The Measuring Cup!
Chef Conrad Patterson is the owner of 318 Sweet Shop in Louisiana, and let me tell you-----I can tell the love he puts into his culinary creations from the pictures I saw on Instagram!!!! Honey, he can cook! :O) I had the pleasure of receiving a box with some delicious samples in them, and trust and believe I did not want to share with my assistant----the mini pecan pies were delectable and seemingly had a pinch of southern love added into it! The flavors blended together very well and was made with love! TRULY AMAZING!
TMC: So, if you don’t mind, can you tell the readers.....who is Chef Patterson?
“I've been cooking since my first job at Piccadilly Restaurants back in 1996. My first position was a dishwasher but luckily I got a chance to replace a baker that quit. The 318 Sweet Shop business didn't begin until 2012, after winning the Karo Syrup Perfect Pecan Pie award at the Louisiana State Fair that year. It was in my heart to take it seriously but at the time all I had was that ONE pie! In 2013, the state of Louisiana passed a Cottage Law which allowed home bakers to sell from their home with no paperwork or business license needed & that's when i jumped in head first. Usually when most businesses develop they already have a menu planned but I didn't. I would just take phone calls from people & whatever they asked for i would say "yeah i can bake that!" without even knowing if I could...but i was damn sure gonna try!!
My future goals are expanding my brand with unique items other than just edible goods. The Delicious Southern Desserts cookbook as well as 2017 calendar is on the way. We are currently running a 318 Sweet Shop T-shirt Campaign to collect enough money to purchase a mobile food truck!! Visit https://booster.com/318sweetshoptshirt to purchase one of our signature logo t-shirts & receive half off their first order!”
TMC: So, it looks like fate brought you into the industry and you took the ball and definitely ran with it! Definitely let us know when you finalize the details of the cookbook and the calendar so that we can support you in your endeavors!
________________________________________________
Now, some fun questions, so this interview won’t be stale! :O)
TMC: What do you like to bake the most?
Chef Patterson: What I like to bake the most are pies! TMC: I can see why, cause that pecan pie was BANGING!!!!
TMC: What is the most popular item you sell?
Chef Patterson: The most popular item we sell is the White Chocolate Cake.
TMC: If you could bake for two celebrities both dead and alive who would they be and why?
Chef Patterson: Two celebrities dead that i would like to cook for would be: Prince & Maya Angelou. I just know Ms. Angelou would have something deep & poetic to say about the taste of my food! And Prince because he was known to have a mean egg-cooking game & so does my oldest daughter so I would have loved to see her in an egg cooking competition against him! The 2 celebrities alive that I would like to cook for would be Adam Richman because of his unique descriptions he gives food he loves. The other celebrity would be the rapper Trina....i don't know why but the little devil on my shoulder just told me to say her name!
TMC: Really, I did not know about Prince, see you learn something new everyday! Ha Ha, Trina....sounds like someone is a big fan!!!! :O) If there was a set dessert you could eat everyday for the rest of your life what would it be?
Chef Patterson: A dessert that i could eat everyday for life would be cheesecake!
TMC: What's your favorite dessert?
Chef Patterson: My favorite dessert is Peach cobbler.
TMC: Do you like chocolate?
Chef Patterson: Yes, I like chocolate!
TMC: Funniest kitchen moment.....
Chef Patterson: Funniest kitchen moment would be when someone asked my youngest daughter what are the secret ingredients in our Linda Faye's Pecan Pie. This was at a time before she learned to read & she really didn't now but she proceeded to just say anything that came to her mind! It was so funny because she mentioned a few items such as cinnamon, hot sauce & pepper the woman thought she was trying to throw her off on purpose!
TMC: I bet that you guys were in stitches! Kids are hilarious!!!!!! What restaurant/kitchen celebrity do you most admire and why?
Chef Patterson: The restaurant celebrity I admire the most would probably be G. Garvin because of his dedication to being real.
TMC: Yep, he is one of my favorites! I admire him, he does a lot of things behind the scenes and even has a Culinary Boot Camp for children ages 16-19. www.ggarvinfoundation.org
Chef Patterson: Organic....yes!
TMC: Do you watch cooking or food shows?
Chef Patterson: I’m getting less and less time to watch tv, but yes, I watch cooking shows.
TMC: Hell's Kitchen or Cutthroat Kitchen?
Chef Patterson: Hell's Kitchen, most def!
TMC: Wow, we have a few things in common! I love seeing the progress of the chefs from start to finish, and I always root for the underdogs-----its one of my goals to ultimately audition for Hell’s Kitchen one day!
TMC: Favorite dessert growing up?
Chef Patterson: Favorite dessert growing up.......MY MOMS CHEESECAKE!!
TMC: I know what you mean, it ain’t nothing like momma’s food! #truesoulfood
TMC: Any dessert that you absolutely refuse to eat?
Chef Patterson: I absolutely refuse to eat any dessert made with MINT!!
TMC: I totally agree.....I do not care how you try to disguise it---it is nasty, lol!!!
Thank you for taking the time to let us know a little bit about Chef Patterson, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors! For more information, you can visit The 318 Sweet Shop at www.318sweetshop.com, on Facebook at The 318 Sweet Shop, or on Instagram at 318sweetshop.
kianamaiart
theartofmadeline
discoholicmusic
titsay
dededos