You may have seen her name in tiny print at the bottom of any of Ford Fry’s dessert menus. Chrysta Poulos is the master pastry chef behind all of Fry’s concepts; turning out decadent, forward-thinking desserts that guarantee a sweet ending to your dining experience. She previously worked at other restaurants in the city, such as Woodfire Grill, Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch and 4th & Swift. We learned a few fun facts about Poulos; she spent four years in the Air Force, she started baking biscuits at four years old, and she’s inspired by plates. Here’s a peek at Poulos’ life.
Talk about your experience in the Air Force.
My experience with the Air Force was four years spent working outside on a flight line in South Dakota – good times, ha! It was rewarding and I learned a lot. I worked in Offensive Avionics on B1-B Bombers: there’s a lot of attention to detail, and learning the mechanics of how things work. I was one of only a few women. All these things come in handy when doing pastry, and working in a kitchen: it’s mostly all guys there, too! I joined the military and wanted to be a pilot after going sky diving twice; I ended up repairing planes instead of flying them! I joined right out of high school.
When did you realize your passion for baking?
I was baking biscuits with my grandmother and mother from a very young age; I just really liked helping in the kitchen, no matter what it was. I worked at a restaurant in high school in the kitchen, and front of the house waiting tables. After I got out of the military, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so went back to waiting tables and felt really at home in a restaurant. I decided to go to culinary school – and I didn’t go to school for Baking and Pastry (just knew that’s the path I wanted to go down). I liked the technicality of it: you must be precise. There’s also something nostalgic about desserts. They really take people somewhere, like their grandmother’s house, or their mom’s … maybe it’s something they ate as a kid. Desserts are fun and playful! They can be classic, modern, simple or complicated – and I can be all those things, too, so it’s fun to let those come out in my food.
What inspires your ideas in the kitchen?
So many things inspire me: a new take on a classic, fruit/vegetables in season, the actual dish-like I see a type of glass or really cool-looking plate, and I think of something beautiful to go on it. Is that weird? I guess it’s like building an outfit around a pair of shoes! I talk to the chefs at the restaurants, and they tell me about things they want to see on their menus. I take those ideas and run with it, putting my spin on it.
As you create pastries for all of Fry’s restaurants, is there a theme that you try to keep within each restaurant?
Yes, I always try to incorporate the theme of the restaurant in the desserts. It’s imperative to have continuity from the savory menu to the dessert menu. At no. 246, we do simple, awesome Italian. At St. Cecilia, it’s a more modern take on Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. At The Optimist, I try to think of New England boardwalks and seaside restaurants. At JCT. Kitchen & Bar, it’s classic, American, and Southern. At King + Duke, it’s also takes on classic American – not too simple, but not complicated either.
What makes your work with Fry’s restaurants different from the other high-end pastry jobs you had?
At most all of the other places I have worked, I’ve only been responsible for that one restaurant. I came in for production, and stayed and plated. Pastry is first to come in and the last to leave! Now, I have a more creative role. I work with the chefs in designing the menus, and work with my pastry teams at each restaurant to execute, test recipes, and show them how I want to plate it up. I love that I’m constantly creating. I’m never bored, and always on my toes and learning! It’s exciting. It challenges me every day – I love it and it’s the best job I’ve ever had.
For Valentine’s Day, what do you think is the iconic dessert?
Whew, that is a hard one! It could be so many things. I would say something more classic: chocolate soufflé, creme brûlée, chocolate molten cake … Definitely something chocolate!
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