Gastronomy is an industry that has evolved a lot in our country and young talents is what helps to continue growing and create new experiences. This is why our guest is a very talented Pastry Chef and Chocolatier who with only 28 years old has already lived in Switzerland and studied in a Culinary Arts Academy program. Inspired by Jaime Olivier’s television program where he made people happy. That feeling is what drove her to study and makes her internship with Chef Santiago Kantu Segovia. Nowadays Luany Orozco receives praise from Chefs with great experience such as Cuquita Arias de Calvo and with The Visitor – El Visitante sits down to talk about the pastry, its challenges and how it helps in the Tourist Experience.
What role does the pastry play in the Visitor’s experience so that it remains in the memory in an unforgettable way?
“Dessert is generally what hugs you at the end of a dining experience. Some times, the food for a diner may not be the best, for various reasons; but if the starter or dessert were great it gives a different twist to your overall dining experience. Many times, it has even happened personally that I have felt this way.
Now the gastronomic experience of pastries is another story. Visiting a pastry shop or Bakery as such is totally different. The public that visits them specifically wants to eat something sweet along with coffee or an infusion that gives you a great feeling of comfort. For me, pastries can be a culinary reference for the product options that our country offers and the gastronomic influences that we have in it.”
Which cities in the world attract Visitors for their pastry experience? What place in Panama has the potential to become the same?
“Unquestionably, France has become, for many years, one of the oldest references in cuisine and in this case pastry. The level of pastry is excellent and there are many guilds, competitions and even standards that make it a genuine point of attraction; without counting chefs who have raised their personal brand to stellar levels and today are known throughout the world through their social networks, indirectly promoting the country’s pastry offering.
Pastry shops in Panama that I can mention include Chef Andrea’s Iconico Bake Studio; It seems like a place with a lot of potential to me. Pastry Boy Bakes from my dear colleague Jorge Bermudez has a product that I feel can take it to scale greatly. Another place would be the Maito restaurant pastry shop run by Chef Jennyfer Vernice, which greatly highlights the ingredients of our country. Chef Cuquita also highlights Panamanian ingredients in her detailed and delicate pastry shop and has also contributed a lot to our pastry and the discovery of local ingredients.”
How can we elevate our classic Panamanian sweets to pastry works that generate unique sensory experiences?
“I think we undoubtedly have potential as a gastronomic destination, and today many companies and chefs have helped us little by little to earn a good reputation in that sense. I think that to elevate our profession, we must first abandon the gastronomic ego. I have seen that the union has improved throughout the years also with many platforms and media that have supported this progress. And now even more so with the new trend of chefs that we have come to the market and we are all looking to boost ourselves. Mutual support is what is needed. Besides, the Guild of Pastry Chefs and Bakers of Panama was created some time ago, which has opened a door to greater unification and support to continue raising our level.”
Photos courtesy: Chef Luany Orozco
