The Turkish bagel, coated in sesame seeds. Her pastries meld flavors like pistachio, tahini, za’atar, and olive oil with the caramel tones of brown sugar and brown butter, and even (for some pastries) earthy whole-grain flours. But it’s her own Café Cerés, which she opened in partnership with chef Danny del Prado in 2021, that may best showcase her particular pastry style, one found nowhere else in the Twin Cities. She’s held a number of other roles since, leading pastries at Penny’s Coffee, Cardamom at the Walker Art Center, and now also Rustica Bakery.

Originally from Olympia, Washington, McKenzie moved to the Twin Cities in 2012 to run the pastry programs at chef Isaac Becker’s restaurants (Burch Steak, Bar La Grassa, and eventually 112 Eatery), where her baba au rhum, among other dishes, made an enduring mark on the fine dining dessert scene. The tart could easily be a case study of pastry chef Shawn McKenzie’s work at Café Cerés, which incorporates flavors from the eastern Mediterranean region, often adding subtle savory notes to classically sweet dessert forms. But after the tartness of the first bite fades, other flavors emerge: hazelnut, rosemary, and caramel tones of brown butter in the crust the smooth green taste of olive oil in the curd. Café Cerés’s mandarin olive oil tart may be its most eye-catching dessert - it has the custardy sheen of a Key lime pie and is topped with candied orange, each slice as radiant as the sun itself.

Sweetie desserts