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Shop with a Chef: Amanda Cheng

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By Suzanne Mozes published Sep 1, 2008

Angela Fama

Wayne Martin, of Four Seasons fame, opened his West Van neighbourhood joint, Fraîche, five months ago to rave reviews. But it was his 24-year-old pastry chef, Amanda Cheng, who was the surprise hit. After graduating from UBC with a degree in psychology, Cheng studied at the Culinary Institute of America’s campus in New York and snagged a coveted internship at Park Avenue Café (now Park Avenue Summer). Under executive pastry chef Richard Leach, she says, she learned one of the most important lessons a young chef can: how to achieve consistency.

Cheng’s menu of old-fashioned desserts at Fraîche reads like a roundup of Nonna’s classic hits: crème brûlée, lemon tart, panna cotta, and a “malt bar” (an Ovaltine-infused chocolate mousse). She sources most of her specialty ingredients—like Trablit (a coffee extract), cardamom pods, and almond flour—from a wholesale importer, Far-met (604-876-2241; Far-met.com), but you might also spot her at Asia Market (265 E. Hastings St., 604-688-6824), where she buys banana leaves on which she plates her desserts. Shopping for home, Cheng will duck into Bosa Foods (1465 Kootenay St., 604-253-5578; Bosafoods.com) for Kalamata olives (or any other purple variety). She also loves oversize loaves of sangak (Iranian flatbread) from Persian bakery Afra (1521 Pemberton Ave., 604-987-7454), and Pullman-style sweet white bread from Fujiya (various locations, 604-608-1050; Fujiya.ca). And if she doesn’t get her chocolate fix at work, she heads straight for Thomas Haas (998 Harbourside Dr., 604-924-1847; Thomashaas.com).

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Fraîche, Shop with a Chef