Ever wonder how the menu in sandwich shops is created? Often it's just a seat-of-the-pants creation, but sometimes there's a little more thought behind the offerings, particularly if a professional consultant is involved. Jamie Sydney is just such a menu expert, but she wears many other hats as well. Sydney, who is revamping the menu at Darien's Upper Crust Bakery & Cafe (UCBC), is also a chef, with 15 years experience doing catered meals.
But Sydney's involvement with fine food goes back much further than that. "I grew up in New York City and my parents were both good cooks, and I was learning in the kitchen as a little kid." Her first job was as a dishwasher in an upstate Connecticut restaurant, followed by stints with several catering companies. In 1996 she moved to San Francisco and opened a gourmet food shop.
She broadened her culinary skills with a summer of traveling through Europe, then honed them with classes at the French Culinary Institute in New York and work at several top city eateries. She opened a gourmet food shop in Brooklyn and started a business, Dinner Party Chef, which combined catering and cooking classes in a mobile event and was featured in the New York Times Dining In section. The decision to start a family prompted a move to Rowayton in 2007, and also provided the impetus for another venture, Stork Suppers, a meal delivery service for new mothers.
Now she's turning her attention to UCBC's menu, which is already known for featuring healthier snacks like carrot stick and hummus rather than the usual chips and soda.
"I'd like to bring in artisan breads," she says. "And add things like healthier tuna salad, made with olive oil and lemon juice rather than mayonnaise.
"There are places that are kind of gourmet, but we want to offer things you don't see elsewhere," she continues. Given Sydney's background and experience, expect to see some really unique items on the UCBC menu in the not-too-distant future.
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