Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Gangeri. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Alyssa Gangeri is a four-time published cookbook author, Executive Pastry Chef for UrbanGrub in 12South as well as opening their newest venture, The Butter Milk Ranch. BMR will feature day dining and small-batch artisan bakery in the heart of 12South.
After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York she traveled North and South working for famous chefs and elite companies such as The Ritz Carlton, Tom Colicchio, Norman Van Aken and Gray Kunz to gain knowledge and experience of the ever-growing hospitality industry. She has also competed on the Food Network’s Sweet Genius along with the Cooking Channel’s Doughnut Showdown.
In 2015 she developed Mimi’s Adventures in Baking, the first-ever interactive storybook cookbook for children. In her eyes baking and cooking should be a fun experience adults and children can share together. What better way to do that than with an interactive story that makes learning your way around the kitchen exciting and easy!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Like the rest of the world, we all struggled with Covid19 and the roller coaster that it was.
I am very proud of my team and how we continued pivoting to be able to keep UrbanGrub going so our fellow team members had a job to return to once reopening began. Upon reopening, we needed to shift our service mentality to not only give exceptional service but to make people feel safe. It was not easy, but we grew from it and came out stronger on the other side.
The Butter Milk Ranch is a dream project for me, it’s why I moved to Nashville from NYC. I stayed hopeful that we would be able to power through the uncertainty of Covid and come out the other side.
We are very excited to launch this day dining concept. Along with serving breakfast and lunch, we will be featuring a small batch bakery with everything done in house. From croissants to breads to pastries. Fresh baked all day long! No matter what time a day, there is always fresh pastries being baked. Think warm croissants right out of the oven… all day!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have been a professional pastry chef for 16 years. I have a passion for the art of pastry. From the intricate layers of a croissant to the perfect spoonful of gelato.
What I love most about baking and pastry is the emotions it evokes. It’s happiness in a bite.
Being a pastry chef is being an edible artist. There are so many mediums the possibilities are endless. I do a lot of research and development to improve existing recipes and develop new ones. Being passionate about what you do is key. Being a chef is long hours, missed family holidays, weekends, and nights. It’s not a hobby. It’s a profession that takes a lot of passion and pride.
I do not like to compare myself to others. They are on their own path. Whether they are passionate and take pride in the path they are plowing is on them. I do what I love everyday, and take pride in what I do, the product I put out, and the impact I can make on others while I do it.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I worked hard. And I mean HARD…for the right people. I constantly observed, I worked when others wouldn’t work, I stayed late to learn, I helped others, and made sure I listened.
Listening sounds easy, but really listening takes discipline. Listen when the people you are learning from aren’t speaking. Pay attention to their movements, their behavior, their mannerisms, and you will learn to anticipate what they may need. I made myself the person someone WANTED to mentor.
My mentor was originally an instructor of mine at The Culinary Institute of America, and now we have been Consulting Partners for over ten years. I made myself his right hand. He is a Certified Master Pastry Chef, and I knew if I could make myself his right hand, I was learning from the best no matter how far I was in my career. Constantly learning, constantly growing.
A mentor has to be someone that is willing to teach, but more importantly you have to be willing to do the work to continue to receive the knowledge they are giving.
Chef Frank Vollkommer, CMPC is not only my mentor and consulting partner but my friend. If you find the right mentor, they will be more than just a teacher. Success is defined differently by everyone individually. Finding the right person to guide you on your path to success isn’t easy, but if you work hard and surround yourself with the right people, all will fall in place.
Contact Info:
- Email: Alyssa@urbangrub.net
- Website: www.buttermilkranch.com
- Instagram: @Agangeri or @thebuttermilkranch or @urban_grub
