For local pastry chef, life in Wisconsin is a piece of cake

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Staff writer

                  Coming from a small town of about 1,000 people in upstate New York, Samantha (Sam) Warren isn’t exactly someone you would immediately consider as coming from a hotbed of a first-class chefs.

                  “Where I grew up, it was a very poor farming town,” Warren said of Laurens, New York. “It was one of those things where if you get stuck there, you’re never going to leave.”

                  She received great advice from her sister, though, when it came to choosing a career.

                  “My sister told me, ‘Get out and never look back,’” Warren explained.

                  Now, eight years removed from high school, Warren is a pastry chef – a graduate of Johnson & Wales University’s famed culinary program in Providence, Rhode Island. What started as a chance internship with the Grand Geneva resort in Lake Geneva turned into a love of Wisconsin, and a career here in the state.

                  Warren was hired last month as the pastry chef at Gooseberries Fresh Food Market in Burlington, a job she found while making preparations for her wedding.

                  “As soon as I walked in, I was like, ‘Wow, I love this store,’” Warren said about coming in to plan her wedding. As often happens, Warren sat down with fellow chefs – and ended up talking shop. The visit ended with a “if you’re ever looking for a job,” according to Warren, and after another offer fell through, Warren landed in Burlington.

                  “I already think they have one of the best catering businesses in the area,” Warren said. “This is the place I knew I wanted to be.

                  “It’s a good place to work,” she added. “Not only is it a good place to work, but they’re doing something I think is unrivaled in the area.”

As a child

                  Growing up in Laurens, Warren lived on a ranch and went to a K-12 school. Her graduating class was smaller than the number of horses her family owned, and her mother, aunts and uncles were taught by the same teachers she had.

                  “The slower life is what I grew up with,” Warren said.

                  But thanks to a program designed to give youth in her area a chance at different careers, Warren was able to explore what she really enjoyed – cooking. She took cooking classes in school, but as she put it, “they can only take you so far.”

                  So by the time Warren hit her high school years, she was doing half a day of regular classes and spending the other half of the day at Otsego Area Occupational Center in Milford, New York.

                  “They taught me the basics, essentially,” Warren said. Warren chafed at the idea of following the norm, though, as the head chef in the program wanted her to be his next protégé – and to keep her out of the bakery.

                  “When you’re a teenager, you always do the exact opposite. I used to sneak over there.” Warren said. “I thought it was more artistic and creative.”

                  And when it came time to choose a college, Warren set her sights exclusively on Johnson & Wales – the first school in the country to offer a Bachelor of Science Degree in Culinary Arts in 1993.

                  It was the only college Warren applied to.

                  “If I get in, I get in,” she said of her attitude. “If I don’t, that’ll suck, but I’ll find something else.”

                  In September of her senior year, Warren’s mother showed up before a soccer game and presented her with a cake – one with the initials of “JW.” Warren’s gamble had paid off.

                  “I start freaking out,” Warren explained. “We all had cake, right before a big game.”

Life’s adventures

                  Warren spent her time at Johnson & Wales learning from some of the best. Her mentor in school was Ciril Hitz, who runs the baking and pastry program at Johnson & Wales and has won a pair of National Bread and Pastry Team Championships in Atlantic City.

                  “The caliber of chefs they have there are absolutely amazing,” Warren said. “They will bend over backwards to teach you everything they know.”

                  And Warren learned. She learned enough to earn the opportunity for an outside internship – as opposed to doing one at Johnson & Wales in the on-campus restaurant – and was set to go to Florida for a spring internship at a resort when the opportunity fell through.

                  Scrambling to find another internship, The Grand Geneva offered her a chance. As it turned out, it may have been the best move of Warren’s life.

                  “When I found out, I was like, ‘What is in Wisconsin?’” she said. “I ended up coming out here and having the absolute best summer of my life.

                  “A lot of my major life changes happened here.”

                  Warren ended up purchasing her first car out here, making friends – and when the internship ended, Grand Geneva offered her a chance to stay through the summer as an employee.

                  In September of 2006, she returned to Providence and finished up her bachelor’s degree. A second internship sent her to The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, and from there, to various jobs around Wisconsin. The downturn in the economy hit Warren hard, and she bounced around between various positions.

                  When she got engaged, though – she and Derek Walters will tie the knot in August – the decision to use Gooseberries as a caterer led her to where she is now.

                  “I walk through the door for my wedding consultation,’” Warren explained. “When you sit down with other chefs and talk, it always winds up shop talk.

                  “We’re just sitting there talking about what they’re doing for business … and it just wound up, ‘If you’re ever looking for a job…’”

Finding a career

                  Now firmly entrenched in Wisconsin, Warren is looking forward to using her creativity at Gooseberries. When asked about her favorites, Warren said people have always raved about her cheesecake, but also that she likes mixing flavors.

                  One of those creations is “The Peanut Butter Bomb,” which she hopes will be coming soon at Gooseberries. It’s a dome of peanut butter mousse, filled with caramel and with a milk chocolate brownie placed underneath. The whole mix is then covered in a milk chocolate ganache (heavy cream and chocolate).

                  But perhaps the most intriguing idea for Warren right now is the idea of sharing what she knows with others. She recently did a birthday party for a young friend, and the girl was so taken by the idea of cake decorating that Warren offered to give her lessons for free.

                  Given her own background, maybe it’s only natural the 26-year-old wants to give back. Listening to Warren talk about the idea of cooking classes in the area, it’s clear she wants to teach as much as share her gifts – or maybe they are the same thing.

                  “I want to get more involved with the community and stuff,” Warren said. “I want to get more into working with kids.

                  “I would like to be able to give back what I know.”