Chef of Chef Works - Chef Manal Bashir

Each month we feature a Chef of Chef Works®. If you’re a fan of Chef Works gear and are interested in being featured, email marketing@chefworks.ca. Pictured above is our June Chef of Chef Works®, Chef Manal Bashir, Owner and Pastry Chef at Manal Bashir Pastry Co., photographed in her Sofia Chef Coat.

Chef Works: Give us your “a-ha” moment when you wanted to be a pastry chef?

Manal Bashir: My family immigrated to Canada in 1995. Our childhood was conservative and modest with minimum indulgences, but my oldest sister always made it a point to purchase some Betty Crocker cake mix and bake a cake at home. These memories built a foundation for my love of desserts. Once I became old enough, I baked two cakes for a dinner party at our house and received such positive responses. The feeling of spending the day doing something that I enjoyed so much followed by the support of my family and friends was enough to give me a moment of clarity that this is what I was meant to do.

Chef Works: What is the most rewarding part about your job?

MB: The most rewarding part of making desserts is that they are usually required for an occasion or celebration. The happiness that people experience after seeing their cake and then tasting them is priceless and unique to every single client I have worked with. Food brings people together and dessert is just another way to bring happiness and joy to families and friends.

Chef Works: Who was your greatest culinary influence?

MB: The one person who has single handily influenced the way I approach food and the desserts that I make would have to be my husband, Joash Dy. We met in culinary school in Humber College and I learned a whole different side of culinary world through him. My very first fine-dining job was in the restaurant where he was employed (C5 Restaurant and Lounge). He was the one who suggested that I should apply for a pastry assistant job opening. From there, I learned basic pastry techniques and how to deal with busy service while executing beautiful, well thought out dishes. My love for pastry grew and this experience built a strong foundation for who I am as a professional today.

Outside of work, Joash has opened me up to foods I would never try and has been the one companion in our eating experience who can discuss food with me for hours and hours. We can conceptualize dishes and dessert ideas together, but he is also my toughest critic. He encourages my high standards and pushes me to create in ways that I would not myself. Without his influence on my career, I would not be in the same place that I am today.

Chef Works: Best anecdote from the kitchen?

MB: In 2019, my pasty assistant and I created what we wanted to be a running yearly tradition called “The Dress Cake”. It is a cake that is approximately 4 feet tall and in the shape of a wedding dress. It consists of four different flavours and can serve over 300 sample sized portions. We created it for the Wedding Co. Market in hopes to do one every year for this market. The idea was to create a unique style of wedding dress every year and allow guests of the show to try different flavours offered on our cake menu. We hope to carry this tradition on after Covid once events and wedding shows can resume.

Chef Works: If you weren’t a pastry chef or a chef, what would you be doing?

MB: I have always had a passion for music. I can play guitar and sing. Before Covid I was actively participating in small South Asian open mics and concerts. It has been something I have gravitated towards for the bulk of my life and I still hope to get back to play with some of the amazing talents that we have in Toronto’s South-Asian music community.

Chef Works: What is your all-time favourite culinary tip?

MB: I find salt is very under-rated in desserts. A lot of the time, people are afraid of adding salt to dessert. However, I find having the right amount of salt really makes the dessert really stand out and balances the flavours.

Chef Works: How does your culinary uniform make you feel?

MB: I ordered chef jacket from Chef Works for The Wedding Co. Market at the start of my company. The uniform had my logo and name on it for the first time and through all the frantic hustle and bustle of getting ready for the wedding show, I stopped and looked at my logo on the jacket. It made everything I was working towards so real. To see a perfectly embroidered version of your logo for the first time on a jacket is a surreal feeling. I felt pride and hopeful as this was the start of our journey at Manal Bashir Pastry Co.

To learn more about Chef Manal Bashir, visit her social profiles:

Website: www.manalbashirtoronto.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manal-bashir-276a9176/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manalbashirto/

Instagram: @manalbashirtoronto

Tiktok: @mbpastryco

Meet other Chefs of Chef Works:

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