As the granddaughter of a baker, baking has always been a big part of pastry chef Crystal Boudreau’s life. She spent holidays huddled with cousins and siblings creating a foundation for the pastry experimentation that’s now a huge part of her process. “It was a big fat mess, which we had to clean up, but we all learned,” Boudreau recalls. “They didn’t do it for us. We were told, ‘here’s your recipe, just do it.’”
From a delicious drop biscuit in her teenage years to her very own dessert catering business, Boudreau has definitely honed her baking skills. After moving several times for hockey (her husband is Bruce Boudreau, Minnesota Wild head coach), Crystal is now settled in Woodbury, trying out a new role at Sur La Table, where she teaches classes for all skill levels.
“I just love meeting people,” Boudreau says. “I love it when people come back to take another class and tell me they went home and tried it on their own and were successful.”
Her favorite pastry to teach is croissants because people assume that they’ll be especially difficult, but usually leave with a little extra dose of confidence. Boudreau’s biggest piece of advice for beginners is to focus on taking their pastry journey one step at a time.
“My hope is that although they may not feel completely comfortable, they’ll learn one or two things and they’ll take another class and learn one or two more things,” she says.
To register for classes at Sur La Table, visit the website here.
