Collaborative Creations with Dru Tevis
EP 210 with Dru Tevis
Corporate Chef
Dru shares his story of unexpectedly coming across a new passion and capitalizing on that to build a career he had never imagined. By following this path, Dru has spread the joy he found as a Pastry Chef not only with those who enjoy his food but also with all the teams he has been a part of, creating a ripple effect in each community he works in.
EPISODE OUTLINE
[00:01:42] A Bit About Dru
[00:08:51] More Knowledge is Better Knowledge
[00:16:17] Being Connected Through Pastry
[00:24:46] Why Such an Emphasis on Collaboration?
[00:35:36] Rapid Fire Q&A with a twist
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TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Aubrey: Hi, Sunshine, and welcome to the show. I'm your host, Aubrey, a hopeful romantic who's always loved getting to know others and learning what I don't know. Here I chat with kindhearted humans and insightful professionals sharing their stories to learn from each other's experiences in hope of going beyond the golden rule and collectively building a more kind and curious world for all, this is the Golden Approach. I'm so grateful you're here.
[00:00:27] Hi friends, likely you too have been feeling all the feelings recently. These are all justifiable to say the least. However, in times like this, I find it more important than ever to stay connected with all the kind humans that we are that I know. The kind humans doing the work of building lasting relationships and humans who strive to grow together. Today's guest is just the ray of sunshine I think we are all craving. His [00:01:00] name is Dru Tevis, and he's a talented award-winning pastry chef and fellow alum of Holiday Baking Championship. I appreciated this beautiful, lighthearted conversation packed with stories of collaboration and teamwork. It's an opportunity to simply just refuel and be somewhere full of happiness and joy and kindness in this wild, wild world. So without further ado, let's get to the good stuff.
[00:01:32] Aubrey: I really appreciate you agreeing to be on this show. I would super appreciate if you would take a second to give me like a quick spiel about who you are. Introduce yourselves to the listener.
[00:01:42] Dru: Yeah, sure. my name is Dru Tevis. I am a pastry chef in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I've been working in the restaurant industry for close to 20 years. I've just always loved that energy and that's what has caused me to create a career in this. I just, I fell in love with it from the [00:02:00] moment I was doing it. Didn't always plan on it being my profession, but here we are.
[00:02:04] Aubrey: Such is life. Sometimes it just takes us in mysterious ways.
[00:02:08] Dru: Yes.
[00:02:08] Aubrey: Very cool. I would love to hear how you found yourself on this path. So you said that you fell into it, and I know that you were in New York for a bit, so I'm so curious to hear how this all kind of transpired for you. I
[00:02:22] Dru: Yeah, yeah. Let's see, so my first restaurant job was when I was in high school. I just started busing tables at a local Irish pub but at that point, this was definitely not the career path I had planned. I had my group of friends in middle school and high school, we loved making movies. I feel like it was our version of All That, SNL-like situation, but they're really only funny to us I think, and that's what I thought I was going to go into. And I also had always loved New York, my dad took me up there when I was 12 and we were there for a week and saw like seven musicals in one week and it was the best trip ever. And so I just, I always loved New York and [00:03:00] felt that I needed to be there.
[00:03:01] Aubrey: I have to ask. What is the favorite?
[00:03:04] Dru: The favorite is Wicked. Phantom was the first favorite. and the first time I saw Wicked was like, I think I like this more than Phantom. Um,
[00:03:12] Aubrey: I appreciate you sharing. So continue, so you end up in New York.
[00:03:15] Dru: So I ended up in New York, at NYU, studying communications, and film and television. Though I kept, I kept working in restaurants when I'd be home on summer break. Post college, I had always wanted to spend one summer living and working at the beach. growing up in Maryland, we always came to Rehoboth and so my best friend and I decided we're gonna move to Rehoboth and spend the summer there working in restaurants. and realized once we got to her Hobart that, like, you know, Oh, like summer's just starting, and by the time I'm gonna have to move for school, it's, I decided, we need a full year here, so I deferred the acceptance for a year, and then meanwhile, the restaurant we had gotten Colleen and I got a job at, we had both started just serving. and, the bartender and manager, just the three of us got along [00:04:00] really well. So he asked if I wanted to try bartending. And so I started getting into that and I just found I really enjoyed mixology and really enjoyed all the different flavored liqueurs and just found I really had a knack for making creative cocktails. And I think that's where it started to lead into the baking. I had always liked baking like as a hobby, but it was not anything I had ever considered doing professionally. But that summer, I just started, baking my way through a cookbook that I'd gotten. And then, and I just found, I got a lot of like therapy out of doing that. and I would talk about baking at work and our chef, Glenda, like absolutely hated making desserts, like as many savory chefs do. She would get something from Cisco or something really basic. And so I brought in a simple pound cake, a simple brownie, like nothing crazy, but I was bringing them into work. And she asked me if I wanted to make something for the restaurant so for restaurant week that year, I made like a [00:05:00] brownie that had mascarpone cheese in it. that's very basic to us but like people, there's Oh, this what is this? It's different from just a regular brownie.
[00:05:08] Aubrey: This also was back in, 2015, right?
[00:05:11] Dru: This was, uh, 2009.
[00:05:13] Aubrey: Okay, even more so to the point
[00:05:14] Dru: Right. So it went over well. and so she said, why don't you just start doing a dessert special? I did that for like about a month and I was bartending, I was serving. and at some point over that summer, the front-of-house manager got fired and they were just like, Dru, why don't you do this? You would be great at this. By the end of the summer, I was heading the bar, I was the front-of-house manager, and I was baking for the restaurant.
[00:05:36] Aubrey: Such a classic story.
[00:05:38] Dru: And yeah, you just get, the, there's someone didn't show up. Why don't you take over this? And, but I loved it. Like I just found, I got so much joy out of, seeing people's reaction to it and thinking like, I think I'm okay at this. Like people seem to think what I'm making is more than just ordinary and seem to really be enjoying it. So near the end of the summer, Glenda came to [00:06:00] me and she's like since you started doing the desserts our sales have been way up and it's actually bringing more people into the restaurant. We'd like you to just do a dessert menu and be our pastry chef cause it's clearly like worth it to do that. And I just, I was so excited. and honored that, that she wanted me to do that and that really pulled me into restaurants forever like Working side by side with a savory chef who I have so much respect and support for and at some point that fall, I feel like it started as a late-night conversation with Colleen, and was like, So I'm thinking maybe I really like doing this dessert thing and maybe this is what I should be doing. She's like, I was waiting for this conversation to happen. So I decided that I would start like doing some research on pastry schools. Cause I knew okay, I like doing this, but I need a foundation. And I already had an undergrad degree, and I didn't want to enter a two or four-year program. and I missed New York. so I went up and toured the school And I got out of the tour and I called my dad and I [00:07:00] was like, so I'm in New York right now, and I just got out of a tour of French Culinary Institute and I absolutely loved it and I think I want to go to pastry school instead of film school. And he was nothing but supportive and excited. Like I was trading one creative for another. So it's not like my parents weren't already on board with me doing something creative.
[00:07:20] Aubrey: yeah, that's probably a softer pill to swallow but still, I'm so glad to hear that they were without a blink of an eye. Like, yeah, that makes sense for you. Congrats. Go do that.
[00:07:29] Dru: and that's how my dad's always been so supportive of everything my sister and I want to do so from that moment, though. Okay, this is what I want to do. So I stayed on at that restaurant for a whole nother season then and spent the whole next summer managing and doing the desserts and really getting into it more and really practicing. then I found once I got to school, that gave me such a leg up because at that time, I think I was in a class of 22 or 23 and 15 of the 23 were female right out of high school [00:08:00] and just had always wanted to do desserts and, and not to knock on any of them, but I just found I got so much out of school because of already working in the industry and knew the ropes, knew what it was going to be like and then also had enough pastry background that I had great questions to ask. I think that's the key to getting so much out of school too, the fact that I came in with a base knowledge and then was ready to get the absolute most out of it. and so I
[00:08:27] Aubrey: I don't mean to cut you off, sorry, but I do think this is a really important point because this has come up in conversations I've had with other people on the show, how they lived a little and then went into it. So I just think there's something really important to point out there about trusting the process of life experiences you have and how that can really like play into getting more out of any type of education, whether that's at school or somewhere else.
[00:08:51] Dru: I think just the more knowledge we can have about anything is helpful. And I think that's the approach I take in my career now with learning, wanting to learn from everybody. like, I know some [00:09:00] things, but I want to know so much more. and then I was also very lucky my parents helped me with school. And so while in school, I did not have to work. And I realized that is such a privilege. but because of that privilege, I was able to get so much out of it because I was going home and studying each night, and like practicing the things we were doing, and making sure that I got the most out of every second in school because it is expensive and I didn't want to take a second of it for granted. And, whenever anybody asks now, like, oh, would, you recommend pastry school to people? And I still do, although I think more for savory chefs that you can fully learn on the job. but I think there's enough technical things with pastry that if you have the financial ability to go to school, getting that foundation was so helpful for me. and then just that bonding experience with that group, like was so wonderful, And I'm still very close with many people from pastry school.
[00:09:51] Aubrey: that interconnectedness is something very unique to this industry in so many ways.
[00:09:57] Dru: really is I just, I look back at it [00:10:00] so fondly and I had such wonderful, instructors as well that just that I'm also still in touch with some of them. Michael Zabrowski was one of my teachers who wrote the pastry chef little black book
[00:10:08] Aubrey: Yes. Yes.
[00:10:08] Dru: he was my lead instructor for level 1 and level 2. he's always the person I reach out to when I have questions about stuff. And I wouldn't trade that for anything.
[00:10:17] Aubrey: Maybe you've noticed, there's no commercials on this show, and that's because currently, we don't have sponsors. And while someday that's going to happen, for now, this show is totally funded by yours truly, and thankfully, the incredible support of you, the listener. So if you like the show and want to make sure it continues to exist and grow, we would super appreciate your support. Just go check out our merch link in the show notes. And, in case you didn't know, every person we interview gets to choose a cause of choice. We then create a custom episode merch piece and donate five dollars for every piece sold, and I would say that's a real win-win. So head to the show notes and check out all this season's custom merch. [00:11:00] Thank you so much, we couldn't do this without you.
[00:11:03] Aubrey: One of the things I'm hearing throughout your story that I really want to touch on is this collaboration aspect, whether it be online, when we were doing pre-interview work, now you're talking about it again it's so cool that is such a prominent approach, even in going back to the foundation of your story, talking about that savory chef. I mean, that is such a special relationship as a pastry chef to truly connect with the savory chef you're working with because you and I both know that no matter how high you make it up the chain you're always below the savory chef. You're basically a sous chef equivalent forever, and fine, it's not about the title, but just to be able to have that respect between those two roles as true partners is something that does not actually happen very often, unfortunately. So to hear that was your first experience and to be able to set that tone for you probably set a standard for you of [00:12:00] what you were looking for and what you would accept going forward. And I think that probably plays into why you are so successful. 'cause we haven't even touched on all the incredible things that you've accomplished in your career. So do you wanna speak to the importance of that or anything that you've taken away from that part of your story?
[00:12:18] Dru: Yeah, yeah, and you hit it right in the head that was my first thing with Chef Glenda that I just was so proud to be her pastry chef and that feeling, I definitely was chasing that, and the times in my career that I've been the happiest is when I had a similar relationship like that. And I've been lucky enough to get that again, many times. And it's, it is again, why I've always been in restaurants and what's always kept me in the restaurant world is that level of collaboration. So what makes me happy as a pastry chef, is when I have that full level of collaboration with the savory chef and feel appreciated by them, but also I'm contributing to their legacy, and I'm so proud to be a part of what they're doing. So yeah, [00:13:00] that definitely has been a huge piece of everything. And, as I found myself at larger places where I was creating a pastry team, I tried to really trickle that down to my team as well of understanding that We're all only here because of those below us that are lifting us up and supporting us. And so I definitely took that approach from building a team of understanding like I need to build a group of people who are reliable because they care about me because of the level of respect that I show them. And I've been lucky that the 2 places where I was for the most significant period of time I started as a team of 1 so it wasn't me coming in and taking over something that was already established I was brought in to build the pastry program. So I began doing everything. And then as I built it into a team each of those people was coming in one at a time. And so I think that also really helped me to be able to establish how I wanted it to be, and then bring in people who shared my mentality [00:14:00] and nothing grew too fast. I always had plenty of opportunity to coach and mentor, when it was just one and then just two. And so then I think that trickled down to others.
[00:14:09] Aubrey: it's just so interesting to repeatedly hear themes from people of what works. And I'm like, yeah, okay this seems so obvious. Like you start small, you'd be kind, you'd be intentional, you'd be respectful, build the strong foundation, the things will grow, the things will come and they'll be able to survive more of what comes their way because they have that like strong foundation. And I just think it's so cool that this happens so organically for you. Like none of this was planned. you said, you weren't dreaming of this or had any preconceived notions. You just followed what was working, what felt good, what resonated with you and you carried that forward into the next thing and you just continue to build upon that. And I just, I think that's so cool how [00:15:00] like organic all of this has been for you.
[00:15:03] Dru: I appreciate everything you said. So nice. And so flattering. Thank you so much. Um, being kind, I think is the foundation to being a good pastry chef specifically, I'd like to think that it's the foundation to be successful in general, but I always come back to being a pastry chef, whether you're in one restaurant or ever seeing a bunch, just being nice really gets you far. And having people like you is important because at the end of the day people don't have to order dessert and I've simply found that having personal relationships with people makes such a difference and should just be a fundamental rule of here's one of the things you do to be successful.
[00:15:36] Aubrey: Again, I think this is a similar theme that comes up when I have other hospitality professionals on and No offense to the savory guys, I love pasta, I'll eat a steak, that's all great, but people get so excited for a cookie and then you mix in the magic of someone's special, whatever their wedding, their birthday, or any of those things like, and then [00:16:00] you have that emotional connection with someone. It's just, it's very special to be a part of.
[00:16:04] Dru: And that's also why I love doing this. Like, how can you not be excited seeing people when they're at their happiest? Like that's my favorite part of the job all the time still.
[00:16:11] Aubrey: Completely agreed. So tell us about what you're doing now. How do you share all the amazing things you make with people?
[00:16:17] Dru: Yeah. I was up in New York for a few years after school. I worked at Milk Bar with Christina Tosi, way, way back when it was just three locations and she was in the kitchen with us every day. And it was a really cool time to be there. And then I spent time working at the Dutch, which is part of Locanda Verde, but Rehoboth was calling me back so I made my way back down I, I was at just a single restaurant for several years And then that connection led to job at the Blue Moon, which is really well known around here. And that introduced me to more people. and then I got asked to help open a restaurant as the pastry chef. I remember when I got asked to even just being considered for that job at that time. It was like, Oh my God, like they think I can do this. They think I can come on board with a company that has three restaurants and caters [00:17:00] luxury weddings for 450 people. Like it felt like such a like crazy thing, but each experience that I had built on the next and built on the next. and so that was the first time that I really ended up getting to build a team. and, I think by the end of my time there, I had a team of seven. Something I thought I would never have outside of the city. Like, that's pretty cool.
[00:17:21] Aubrey: I mean that is huge. I'm in Baltimore, which is a decent-sized city compared to Rehoboth and the only place I've been anywhere near that size is in hotels.
[00:17:31] Dru: It felt so rewarding. just to be like, wow, I'm here and I have all these people that like, they have a job because I decided we're going to make desserts a big deal here. And so I worked with Lavita for three and a half years. and then ultimately they closed their flagship restaurant, I kind of saw the writing on the wall for the future of the company And so I just knew that there wasn't going to be any more growth and probably what was coming was downsizing. so I left [00:18:00] that job with open-ended plans. Like my husband and I had also just gotten engaged and so our engagement was part of what prompted me to do some traveling. I want to visit some chef friends, I want to take some more classes. I want to reinvigorate and re-energize my pastry knowledge and decide what the right direction going forward is going to be, but right from the get-go, Scott Kammerer, who is the president and CEO of the company I work for now, Sodel Concepts but, I had my first meeting with Scott just entertaining the idea of coming on board there. And, I knew walking out that meeting that I wanted to work for Scott. He just is the type of boss, and the type of person, who just the way he talks about business, it's something you want to be a part of. He's so encouraging of all the people who work with him and built Sodo concepts and helped it to grow because he understood that he doesn't know everything. And that the best way to build a strong business is to hire the best people at each of [00:19:00] their jobs. Understanding the people below you know more about that job than you do, and therefore you're going to bring them in so they can do their best and that's what's going to make the business as a whole, the best. And maybe again, it struck back to that original chord that I talked about of I loved working with that first savory chef and the idea of being able to be the person responsible for closing out her meals was so exciting. And each time I really enjoyed a job, it came back to that. So here was an opportunity to work with seven different executive chefs who I knew of all of them and their food. And the idea of I'm going to get to be the one responsible for closing out seven different like places. And the scope of that was so exciting. And again, just the way listening to Scott talk, like to know him as to love him. And you just I was like, he re- he reminds me a lot of my own father too, of the way he conducts business. Just, he's so about his employees and so about rising people up and so about, um, getting everybody attention for what they're good [00:20:00] at. So it was cool then still to go through that year of traveling. I did like courses at the Chocolate Academy in Chicago. and, French pastry school in Chicago, and then I also got to spend some time working with some friends. And so like my friend, Lisa, who owns sister pie up in Detroit. I spent, like two weeks working with her. And I actually I had so much fun up there that I came back and did another week with her. And so got to know her whole team and see her whole philosophy on business. And so it just, it was really cool to get that experience, with a friend and to really See the amazing things she's done up there and really inspire me for what I want going forward.
[00:20:35] Aubrey: This is so cool. I don't say that, there wasn't probably hiccups along the way or moments where the path wasn't as clear that's life. But I just think it's so cool how many opportunities you've gotten to truly just take life and then. have a way to translate that into a purpose like the reason we all become good at this is when we're living. When we're [00:21:00] experiencing and like feeling the vibe somewhere and how that translates so that others can experience that incredible feeling that we felt and they're usually memories so I just I love this energy that you're you put into what you do and how you think about it
[00:21:20] Dru: That, that makes me smile so much. We get caught up in the daily grind especially when things aren't good, and so when I knew I was starting to reach that point of okay, the grind doesn't make sense anymore of what I'm currently doing. I need to step back. I need to regroup. I need to remember why I love this and I've been lucky enough to be able to do that. And I've had my ups and downs and I've had times where I question things but I, I've, I'm self-aware enough that each time of I realize that could be coming, that it's been an opportune time to, make a shift and make a change. And yeah, I think that's so important. And I, but I think it still comes back to the things I keep harping on of like being nice and understanding that we can learn [00:22:00] from everyone. And so that has always been a huge part of my understanding of the job of taking on knowledge from anyone and everyone around you. And when I have teams like taking on knowledge from all of them because understanding that everyone on the team brings something different to the table and just because I'm the boss doesn't mean I'm even the most qualified to be the boss. I just happen to be the boss, and so we just broke it down. That's all I did for two months was learn what they were doing and then just take that, enhance it a little bit, introduce them to a scale, and how this is how we weigh ingredients to make sure everything's the same every time. We're not just throwing things into a bowl and then from there I started like doing one special at a time and it wasn't anything complicated. It would just be like a cookie sundae, something that like fits the vibe of what they're already doing. But again, just has really good developed flavors, and so when the guest eats it, they're like, this is the best version of this I've ever had. I want more and [00:23:00] therefore they start asking, for more things. And then the other piece of why this all need to be gradual is slowly getting line cooks and chefs comfortable with my presence comfortable with okay, we're going to elevate what we're doing a little bit more. And so it just it was a slow but deliberate process. I wanted to make sure that I had each chef's respect because when you're the pastry chef, I didn't want anything to be like, Who is this guy coming in and telling me what to do? And so through this gradual process of slowly making the desserts better, just a couple of the restaurants and then expanding out and, getting into all the kitchens slowly over time, like it made. When I showed up, they were all happy to see me. Chase and I dined a lot at all the restaurants. So I got to know the front-of-house managers and I got to know everybody in the kitchens. So by the time I was actually baking in all the different restaurants, like everybody was, knew a little bit about who I was and were excited to see me and understood that like, I'm here to help you. I'm not here to step on anything you're doing. and [00:24:00] I also understood that some of these chefs like making desserts, but just want to learn more. Some of them hate doing it and don't want anything to do it and are happy to have someone Coming in help. And so realizing I needed to take a different approach with everybody was important too. So if there was a sous chef who loved doing the desserts, then that's who I worked with, if there was just one cook that had always made them all, that's the person I worked with in that restaurant. And if that chef was particularly controlling and really liked being involved or liked knowing what was going on, then I would over-communicate with them and make sure they were in the loop of what was going on and would ask them what they wanted to see on their menu. So, um, I really tried to respect that and I think it worked really well because I didn't force anything on anyone.
[00:24:46] Aubrey: I am so curious to dig into this theme. If it roots from just solely being pastry or if it roots from something like deeper in your personal experience, but this like instinctual [00:25:00] understanding of collaboration and the respect I'm just so curious, like, where that started building for you and how you've been able to channel that into such a strong skill because I think that's such a universal approach that can build success for anyone, no matter what you're doing. If you are collaborative and you are open-minded and you're vulnerable to admit when you don't know something, which is maybe I'm asking just selfishly for myself because I think that vulnerability in lack of knowledge is something I struggled with in a lot of my career because I felt like I had to pretend like I was farther along or I had to pretend I was a stronger chef than maybe I was at certain points because I didn't feel that like safeness to be so vulnerable.
[00:25:45] Dru: And the pressure of the industry can do that so much or like you feel like you have to put on.
[00:25:50] Aubrey: So I'm just so curious about this.
[00:25:52] Dru: Yeah, I don't even know what direction to go with
[00:25:56] Aubrey: Yeah. That was a very open ended question.
[00:25:58] Dru: No, I think [00:26:00] outside of food. I'm trying to look at like when I was younger and just, my mother is an extremely compassionate person and She reads people really well and reads people's feelings. And I don't think we grew up, I grew up like overly talking about those feelings but I think that's rubbed off a little bit on me like she just would always have me really examine how things were making other people feel and that our actions like have a result on others. And therefore, like, when something's wrong, really looking into, what caused that and that those feelings and understanding that. And so I think probably my mother's a huge influence. And then my dad, he had a heating and air conditioning business growing up and built that from something very small that he inherited from his father to a huge company and he always embraced like most people who work for me know so much more than I do about all they're doing and what I'm good at as a boss is bringing those people together and trusting them to make the right decisions, [00:27:00] guiding them when they need help, but I try and not meddle in what they're doing because I know their credentials and they've proven themselves. You have to realize that like you've got to, as the boss, you take the reins a little bit, but the most important part is trusting that the team that you've built knows how to do their job and therefore you don't need to be meddling in what they're doing every day. So I think a piece of all this is a, a unique upbringing of having a mother and father who both are extremely strong in different ways and balanced in different ways. And so I think I've, I think, like that I've inherited like the best of each of them. I like toot my own horn.
[00:27:40] Aubrey: I mean, it sounds like it is translating.
[00:27:42] Dru: And then my talking about my group of friends in high school, like us making our movies and do our things. Like I was extremely close with that group of friends we were together all the time. And I was the one planning the activities we were going to do and so I think I got used to, I, even as a high [00:28:00] schooler was in this like coordinating sort of leadership role, even with my group of friends. so I think that is probably the seeds of what led to how I've approached my career and the teams that I've led
[00:28:12] Aubrey: I really appreciate you sharing stuff from your past that kind of go beyond like just, the career aspect of your life, because I do really believe that people make more sense usually when you go, beyond that Like you can see how they approach business based on who they are, their foundation. And it's so clearly translating how you are as a leader and how effective you are as a chef, both in their own right, It's very cool.
[00:28:41] Dru: I really appreciate that a lot. And yeah, I haven't ever talked about this quite in this context and so that's what makes this cool. I'm even learning things about myself like, oh, yeah. Okay. That makes sense that this led to that and this led to that.
[00:28:52] Aubrey: I'm just so excited to continue to like, just witness the journey and see where it takes you. I was trying to desperately to remember, [00:29:00] it's who followed who first? How did we even connect?
[00:29:03] Dru: I probably followed you first. Cause like when I got cast on Holiday Baking Championship, I think I like, No, you know what? I followed you because I know Juliana from your, who won your season.
[00:29:14] Aubrey: Oh yeah.
[00:29:15] Dru: So when, when in my year that I was traveling around, she and I were in the same course together, in Chicago. So I met her like doing a pastry course there. so your season was the first season that I watched from like start to finish when it was on.
[00:29:30] Aubrey: That’s so funny.
[00:29:32] Dru: So that's when I followed you.
[00:29:33] Aubrey: It's such a small little industry, It continues to crack me up. But yeah, so it was just like, I was trying to remember that because I know it's been a few years now since we connected online. And so I feel like I've gotten to like really witness so much of this journey, and I'm just so genuinely excited to continue to see where it goes. you create beautiful food. Hands down, seriously, beautiful food. I keep saying every time, oh, I'm gonna get time off and then [00:30:00] this industry is what it is and I don't. So when I finally make it there,
[00:30:04] Dru: more often than I do too. so yeah. Yeah. I'll say right back
[00:30:07] Aubrey: yeah, so do please let me know if you're ever in the area. I would be ecstatic to like host you and have you at the bakery. If you ever want to do a collab or something, please let me know.
[00:30:17] Dru: Absolutely.
[00:30:18] Aubrey: No pressure, but anyway.
[00:30:20] Dru: I really appreciate that a lot, a lot, and yeah, it's, you know, it's, it's, it's cool to have gone on this whole journey in a small town, essentially, that I love and support. And that's, I think, what's made so much of my story so cool that, like, I've been able to kind of change pastry in this area. Like, there are many other pastry chefs in the area now doing cool things and it is such an honor. Like, I don't, sometimes I don't even believe it when I like, when I, I read articles about these other chefs and many times like they've referenced me and that I've inspired them. And that like, [00:31:00] when I decided to move back from New York to come here, it was, well, I am a small fish in a big pond here in New York. Like, I want to go be the big fish in a small pond and have the opportunity to really change the way people look at dessert in the area and it's really really satisfying and humbling to like kind of see through, through my whole journey, and certainly, holiday baking championship helped a lot with this Um, but that that I've truly been able to inspire others in the area And then I see like other people doing desserts in similar styles to me and I don't ever look at that as copying I look at that as flattery that like, okay, they've like they're taking bits of me and putting into what they do now and they're having success with it, And I just think that is incredible. That I've been able to have an impact, not only on the customers who come in and eat what I'm making, but that other people are replicating it in a way. And, and not to give myself total credit either. [00:32:00] there are plenty of people in this area are doing all so many creative things that are uniquely theirs. And I'm not saying that I'm responsible for all that, but I, when, when I do see other pastry chefs saying anything about, well, like I saw what Dru was doing and I thought that was cool. And therefore I did this. And like, I just, I take that as the highest form of compliment. And I just, it, it, it's really cool to be able to have such an impact around here, and then ultimately, hopefully, be leading to my own thing in the future, like, it, it feels very, very full circle.
[00:32:31] Aubrey: Yeah. And that's funny. Cause that's the term I was going to use to like come full circle in this whole journey and super powerful in the sense of, and I, I think this happens in a lot of fields, but especially in food, chefs who have gone off and done this training and all these years of sacrifice in you know, famous restaurants and big cities and whatever. To be able to go back to their roots, and to share that in a more communal, connective way, which is what food [00:33:00] is meant to be, it is meant to be something that brings people together and tells stories and that we can share together. So to see you be able to go off, go to New York, go to this great school, learn all these great things and then come back to what someone might consider a small town, not that Rehoboth is as small as it used to be, but you know,
[00:33:19] Dru: Yeah, not at all. Yeah.
[00:33:20] Aubrey: Um, it was like the quiet beach, if you weren't going to Ocean City.
[00:33:24] Dru: It was closed in the off-season, and now it's all year round
[00:33:27] Aubrey: Yeah, exactly. To have been able to bring those skills back and to be able to invest in an area close to home and very personal to you. And then, To have other people be like, that is a destination where I can go and I can be great at this and I can share great things like that says a lot. and I hope more chefs in any industry will consider using the skills that they've gained to go back to their homes and their communities and really reinvest it and spark that next [00:34:00] generation. Again, coming full circle. We were talking about in the beginning of this of like, when you eat someone's food and it creates a memory for you, and then you translate that memory into a new memory that you want to create for the next person like that is a beautiful circle of food. I just love stuff like that. And I think that's so cool.
[00:34:19] Dru: I agree. I agree. Yeah, that's that's what it's all about
[00:34:21] Aubrey: That is what it's all about. Well, I am so grateful of your time and you shared so many wonderful things with us. So truly thank you so very much for this.
[00:34:31] Dru: It is my pleasure. And again, like just from the first time you reached out to do this, I’m truly honored to be a part of this. And I think it's so beautiful what you're doing. And so cool that you've taken the plunge. This is now your full-time thing. And that's incredible and I love listening to all the stories that you discuss, on the Golden Approach and it truly like it truly I am. I am really honored to be here.
[00:34:52] Aubrey: Oh, my God, like you, I might literally cry. It means so much to me, and so truly just thank you from the bottom of my [00:35:00] heart.
[00:35:00] Aubrey: Pardon one more quick plug. Anyone who knows me knows I love books, so we are affiliate partners of bookshop.org, an organization dedicated to keeping local bookstores alive and thriving, because those big corporations, they just don't need any more of our money. So head to the show notes where we've linked our bookshelf and bonus, we'd love if you sent us suggestions to add, you can do so by DMing us on Instagram @goldenapproachpod, or join our email subscriptions on our website, goldenapproachpodcast.com. Okay, let's dive back in.
[00:35:36] Aubrey: Since you listen to episodes, then you know what's coming, which is the rapid fire.
[00:35:42] Dru: Got it.
[00:35:43] Aubrey: I remind all the listeners, we have many a question, but we only pull three. So that way that's a little different each episode. So I have my little pile of questions. So we're just going to pick three right now and see what we get.
[00:35:55] Dru: All right.
[00:35:56] Aubrey: If I can open it. Don't mind me. [00:36:00] Ooh, I like this. Okay. No, one's gotten this one yet. It's the first timer.
[00:36:04] Dru: Oh, wow.
[00:36:05] Aubrey: Okay, so give us a recent favorite. it can be a book, a show, an album, but give us a recent favorite you're really into right now.
[00:36:15] Dru: recent favorite. I, were just, I was just up in New York, and I was trying like a couple new bakeries and things. And I went to this Austrian bakery that they had something called, they just call it the cinnamon social. And it was like a combination of a cinnamon roll and cinnamon babka and it's described as like a cinnamon pastry with vanilla custard, but when you bite into it, it's, it's like they use the custard and bake it in there and so it just like when a cinnamon roll sits around, you know the edge piece is that if you eat it the next day, it's still good. But every little edge crinkle like was so perfectly tender and delicious that like it was the best cinnamon pastry I've ever had I'll make sure I send you the name of the plate because I'm gonna say [00:37:00] the name wrong if I said and it surprised me because it was one just walking down the street, I was like, Oh, what's this place? And I walk in, I was like, Oh, this thing looks good. I guess I'll try it. So I was expecting nothing. And then bit into this thing was like, this is the most perfect bite of cinnamon goodness I have ever had.
[00:37:14] Aubrey: Those are my favorite moments, like truly magical moments. And also I am so curious to look at this just as a nerd and as a pastry chef.
[00:37:24] Dru: I'll send you that again. They call it the Cinnamon Social, but it's a bakery that started in, I know they have a location in the UK, and I think it's their first one in New York. But I'll send you the name of it.
[00:37:33] Aubrey: I would greatly appreciate it. I'm also so disconnected, like without getting too much on a tangent, I used to go up to New York like at least three, four times a year. And then,
[00:37:40] Dru: This was me too. This was my first, like before COVID, I like, especially cause of having lived up there, I would go all the time. And this was my first time going since 2019. It's like, why so other than the really big things, I don't know what's hot and what's like the great thing. That's just so literally this one just, I found just from walking down
[00:37:58] Aubrey: Oh, I'm so excited to go back. [00:38:00] Who or what has influenced you the most?
[00:38:06] Dru: Who or what has influenced me the most? I think it's fitting that I talked about her. I think Glenda Atkins, my first chef and owner from Blue restaurant. Like I would not be in this profession if it weren't for her, I would have gone off to film school. So working with her changed, my trajectory and, and it was that, that collaborative, chef. of working with her that made me fall in love with doing this.
[00:38:31] Aubrey: So cool. And then last one. Let's see. Let's see. What is something others usually don't know about you? I feel like you've been a pretty open book, but still.
[00:38:44] Dru: something others don't usually know about me. My closest friends know about my survivor obsession, but I feel like that's not something I talk about to everyone. So I feel like that's a good example. I feel like the one that. that really gets people cause I am very uncomfortable in front of crowds and don't [00:39:00] love being the center of attention, but I was actually briefly a vocal performance major in college. And in high school, like I was in musicals I was in I was Prince Charming and Cinderella my senior year, but I hate like I don't do karaoke even I hate singing in front of people now like I did nd so yeah when I got to NYU I had the brilliant idea of like Maybe this is what I want to do since I'm up here. And so I tried out for the vocal performance program and I got in and I started my sophomore year as a vocal performance major and I switched back to communications after one week.
[00:39:35] Aubrey: Okay.
[00:39:35] Dru: I realized this is, if I'm scared to sing in front of people in class, a life of auditions, this is not me.
[00:39:41] Aubrey: I respect you trusting like what you really need and know yourself. I really appreciate that. Okay. And I have to, if you don't mind, ask one final question, just as a special question for you. What is your fondest memory of holiday baking championship?
[00:39:57] Dru: My fondest memory of Holiday Baking [00:40:00] Championship. the bonding with the other contestants in general was definitely the best part of it for me. I got so close with everybody and so I think the best moment was Because I know you filmed, in the height of the lockdown when you guys were at
[00:40:17] Aubrey: It was, yeah, it was crazy.
[00:40:19] Dru: so I don't know what your day-to-day schedule is but for us we did, we filmed five days and then got one day off and then would film five more
[00:40:26] Aubrey: Yeah. I think it was like that. I mean, you made it so much farther than I did, but yes, it was similar.
[00:40:32] Dru: So the, and again, I always said just being on the show is making it because that, anybody can go home at any time.
[00:40:39] Aubrey: No, that is definitely a wild game. I, anyway,
[00:40:41] Dru: It really is. But so my best memory was like the night going into our first day off. So after filming five days, I guess we had done the first two episodes and then that first night off of knowing we didn't have to film the next morning and Everybody was hanging out at night, but that was the first night I was like, let's go out to a restaurant, let's sit [00:41:00] and it was the first moment that like I could truly relax because I was just in panic mode that entire time of what are we doing next what's good like I could not relax and even at night when we would sit around talking like I could I had worn out my social abilities for the day and needed to go to my room and be alone. And so that night, like just feeling like there's no pressure tomorrow morning when we wake up, we don't have to go do something. And so that night when, and it was 11 of us still that night, because even though it was down to 10, like Antoine, who was getting ready to leave was still with us. So just the bonding experience we shared together that night of just chatting and amidst all the craziness when so much of it was still ahead, that was just such, that was a really special evening. And I think probably the only time I relaxed for a few hours.
[00:41:47] Aubrey: yeah, I totally feel this. Thank you for sharing
[00:41:49] Aubrey:Thank you for listening to the golden approach podcast, which wouldn't be possible without the support of associate producer and content manager, Emmalyn with audio technology and [00:42:00]support provided by barn swallow audio company. If you've liked this episode or any episode prior, be sure to follow so you never miss a new release. We greatly appreciate if you helped others find the show also by leaving a review wherever you're currently listening or directly sharing with friends and family. You can find resources, merch, and more in the show notes and website, GoldenApproachPodcast.com. And if you're looking for more content, join our Ko-fi community and follow on Insta @GoldenApproachPod. Until next time, let your hopeful romantic side shine always. Buh bye!
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