Today we’d like to introduce you to Michal Michaeli.
Hi Michal, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Matok is the result of a lifetime of experience, training, passion, and love. For the past 20 years, I’ve dedicated myself to honing my craft in the pastry world. My journey began with endless hours in humbling apprenticeships, where I first started to learn the art of baking. From there, I began developing advanced baking skills at high-end French patisseries in New York City. Over the years, I’ve been working with a chef who became my mentor, who allowed me to experiment with flavors and techniques and opened my mind above and beyond.
I always loved to try and incorporate different flavors and ingredients in my desserts and breads and tried to innovate every time. As the head pastry chef of the famed Doris Metropolitan steakhouse in New Orleans and Houston, where I worked for 5 years, I was able to create an innovative bread and seasonal dessert menu and was able to bring new life and color to the Houston baking scene. During my time in Houston, I became a partner with the Doris Group, and we opened a new bakery (Badolina).
I left Houston, the partnership, and the bakery almost 2 years ago, and I’ve stepped into the most exciting chapter of my life yet. At Matok, I can finally bring my skills, my creativity, and my passion to fruition. With every carefully shaped loaf, delicately layered pastry, and meticulously crafted dessert, I aim to create a singular taste experience that evokes sweet memories and helps to make new ones.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There are always challenges, you figure out things as you go… you grow in the process, learn how to approach things, solve problems, be ready for road bumps and, see things from other angles, get out of your comfort zone. For me, the last year has been very challenging-from building a website to understanding all the bureaucratic needs, to centering myself into the new concept of online bakery, understanding what is needed and what is the right formula for me, all in the trying to create my vision, bringing myself out through my bakery and connecting to people.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I like knowledge, to learn and experience new things, to understand the process of things, and to try to bring myself, my vision, and my soul through it with it. For me, food, or in my case pastry/desserts/baking, allows me to use all the senses to do that. I imagine flavors, textures, and bake or make desserts out of them. When I smell or taste spices, new ingredients I wasn’t familiar with – I imagine a flavor in my mind and bring it to life as bread pastry, or dessert. I love to challenge the taste buds, build a taste profile, and combine flavor, texture, and sometimes different temperature to create a desserts or pastry, or bread that will take you to a journey, surprise your pallet, and open your mind beyond what you are expecting.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
You never know what you don’t know. There is always something new that will build you, wow you, and make you better. You need to be passionate about what makes you tik, be open and curious to evolve
Contact Info:
- Website: matokbakery.com
- Instagram: michal.matokbakery
Image Credits
yossimichaeli.com
