Sarah Renson

What stands out about Sarah is her boundless enthusiasm and down-to-earth attitude. "I never thought I would become a pastry chef, I just fell into it. Some old friends still find it hilarious that I have a job that requires so much precision. Although I can see the link with my art education, because you can turn a cake into a little work of art. Our blood orange cake, for example, is almost a painting, with wavy lines of whipped white chocolate ganache and bright accents of fresh blood orange." After training in bread and pastry making, Sarah went on to work in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants such as The Jane. Here she learned to make refined patisserie and where her love of good food really took root. “That said, I don’t make delicate mousse cakes with mirror glaze in my own kitchen. I love more rustic pastries and am increasingly focusing on the essence: taste. I mercilessly discard anything that doesn't contribute to that. My favorite cake at the moment is a frangipane cake with apricots. Delicious buttery puff pastry, rich almond paste with a hint of salt, and then fresh, fruity apricots with charred edges." 

Sarah’s talent for creating a buzz was evident when her boules de Berlin— pillowy balls of fried yeast dough filled with pastry cream—went viral during the pandemic. They were only baked one day a week, and everyone wanted to get their hands on one. There were endless posts on social media as the customers who formed a long line in front of the shop. “We still bake boules on Fridays and Saturdays,” says Sarah. “We do it for a few months at a time, and then we stop again. That way, they keep their sense of surprise. A boule de Berlin also carries a strong sense of nostalgia: you used to eat it on the beach. It's a comforting pastry with soft flavors and textures.” 

Which pastry from her shop does she still eat every day? "A bokkepootje, I can't resist it. We sell almost 35,000 of them a year. Mind-boggling, right? Every day, I sneak to the fridge to get one. That combination of light almond sponge, buttercream, and crunchy chocolate: irresistible."