Summer Pastries in Teddy's Cafe
Explore the Flavors of Summer in New Orleans
We Interviewed Roosevelt Pastry Chef Kareena Dennis about the Summer Menu
What inspired the Summer 2024 pastries menu?
What inspires me most are the ingredients and flavors of the seasons. I love to research what’s available and in season and how I can combine them into a unique but still sought after dessert. I’m an earthy person and I love incorporating what the Earth has to offer us at different times of the year. It’s also fun to play an almost mad scientist part, combining different ingredients in the kitchen, creating desserts out of nothing but an idea. I also, of course, love incorporating the flavors and dishes of the area I’m in. Right now, being New Orleans. We have really awesome foods here that are fun to play around with and make unique twists to.
What flavors are you most excited about on the menu?
My personal favorite is the Lemon Thyme Cake on our Summer Menu. It really is a unique little cake that I created through much trial and error, it was a labor of love and the end product is quite delicious. The Basque Cheesecake is also a favorite. If you’ve never had a Basque cheesecake I highly recommend trying one, they are so unique and their texture is so light and creamy with that deeply caramelized crust. They’re incredible. However, I’m most excited for our Autumn menu to start. I was raised in Massachusetts, autumn runs through my veins.
Which dish is the most challenging?
Our Banana Bread. Not because its difficult to make, it’s difficult to get our hands on the perfectly over ripe bananas before they disappear! Or the Basque Cheesecake, you have to pull it from the oven at the perfect time to get that texture spot on.
What percent of the pastries are scratch made in house?
All of the new products are now made in house. We are working our way into all house made muffins next, we have one on the menu now and it’s selling really well. My goal is to offer all house made products in Teddys in the near future and really set ourselves apart from other hotels.
Can you talk a bit about how some of the items are unique to Louisiana ingredients? Unique to The Roosevelt?
There are a few items on the menu that incorporate some traditional Louisiana and New Orleans flavors. We have our King Cake Snickerdoodle, which was also a lot of trial and error before getting the perfect combination of flavors to create that King Cake taste. With The Sweet Tea Basque Cheesecake, all I could think of was how hot it is in the summer and the best way to cool off (for me) is with iced tea, and I know sweet tea is popular in the South so I incorporated it in. The Roosevelt Red Velvet is a staple that will never leave our case, Red Velvet was invented at The Waldorf Astoria, it would be a crime to not offer it in some way. Then we have the Bananas Foster Cinnamon Roll, I just knew the flavors would go together so well in a cinnamon roll. The warm spices with the brown sugar and banana topped with a creamy rum cream cheese icing, much like the vanilla ice cream served with the traditional bananas foster dessert. Lastly is our Fried Chicken Cake Pops which are only available on Mondays, the day we serve fried chicken dinners in the Fountain Lounge. Unique to our hotel and its own traditions.
Also, how long have you been a pastry chef?
I’ve been in professional pastry kitchens for about 12 years, I was raised in a Ritz-Carlton. I’m in my 3rd year of officially having the title.
Where did you work before The Roosevelt?
I was in Maui before the Roosevelt, working for Marriott. I was at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua then Wailea Beach Resort.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Just that I love what I do!
Teddy's Cafe is open daily from 6am til 5pm and is located in the lobby at The Roosevelt Hotel.