1 of 5
Photo by Kevin A. Roberts
Chef Nathaniel Reid
2 of 5
Reid was among 40 of the world's finest pastry chefs featured in The New Patissiers, published in October 2013.
3 of 5
Photo by Ashley Gieseking
Reid's take on Baked Alaska, and dining critic Dave Lowry's description of same, from SLM's "The Best Desserts in St. Louis" cover feature from November 2013:
"You know it, of course, as glace au four. And you recognize the Ritz’s version is different, yet has the proper topper—not a tasteless cone of browned Styrofoam. A sea foam–light mound of meringue covers a dome of white chocolate, whipped with lemony perfumed essence of yuzu and layered with strawberry sorbet and almond cake. It meets the business end of a propane torch just long enough to produce a golden, delicate crust, which insulates the ice cream. Add a splatter of thickened fruit juices. Dessert is most definitely served."
4 of 5
The results of a recent pastry class led by Chef Reid
5 of 5
One of Reid's cakes, ready for its close-up
The bad news is that after just over a year, pastry chef Nathaniel Reid has left The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis (on the best of terms, he says), effective August 8; the good news is that he plans to stay in St. Louis and possibly open his own pastry shop.
In the world of pastry, Reid is one of the best. The most recent accolade was being listed among 40 of the world’s most renowned pastry chefs in The New Pâtissiers, a beautifully depicted pastry and recipe book published in October 2013. (SLM discussed Reid’s other awards and accomplishments in this Q&A.)
Reid, a Farmington, Mo native, moved back to the area last year after traveling the world, first studying the art of pastry and then teaching it. “ I used to admire certain chefs,” the humble and unpretentious Reid said, “and now, seeing them at various events, have become friends with many of them."
Reid could work anywhere in the world—in Paris, Dubai, current pastry hotbed Japan—but he prefers to stay in the metro area, back where it all started.” Then the 34-year-old chef got philosophical: “Ten years ago, I wanted to succeed so desperately that I left for Paris with $500 in my pocket, and lived in a basement there...which was more like a cave.” In the aforementioned Q&A, Reid said that “my career's been pastry, and my hobby's been pastry.”
Concurrent with his stint at the Ritz, he’d been teaching, conducting seminars, and leading cooking demonstrations, in Los Angeles, Chicago, Florida, Las Vegas, as well as in Europe, which he plans to keep on doing.
“The Ritz was great for me and great to me, but now I have the time to travel and better my quality of life, but also pursue the next chapter of my career,” as in opening up his own pastry shop. Reid said that’s not on the immediate horizon but something planned for the near future. “Right now,” he said, “I want to remember what life is about before I get so busy I forget again.”
