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New Product Development Chef Josiah Huelle
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We've added over 60 new baked goods and desserts to the store
this week! New selections include both sweet and savory
items, as well as organic and gluten-free options, and every
fresh&easy product stands up to our promise to never use
artificial colors, flavors, high-fructose corn syrup or added trans
fats.
The seasonal items you'll now find at our in-store bakery
certainly make the most of favorite fall flavors. Just imagine
freshly baked fresh&easy Pumpkin Scones with Vanilla Icing or
Maple Pecan Braids hot out of the oven - yum!
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Led by New Product Development Chef Josiah Huelle, our team
created some awesomely innovative new products, like Red Velvet
Cupcakes colored all-naturally with beet juice (read the Q&A
with Josiah for more on that), or our exciting new Cookies &
Cream Treat featuring chocolate chip cookie dough in a vanilla bean
mousse.
We caught up with Josiah to talk about his favorite new desserts
and why he's hooked on the science of baking. And if you have your
own questions for Josiah, join him for a chat on our Facebook Page on
Friday, 9/21 at noon P.T. - just comment on the dessert and bakery
post.
FE: You have a pretty extensive history in the
pastry industry. What inspired you to be a chef?
JH: I was really attracted to the technical
aspect and the precision that baking requires. There's a bit of
know-how involved too, but I really like the science of it. I'm
very detail-oriented and that's definitely something you need in
this industry.
FE: What brought you to the Fresh & Easy
team? What's your favorite part of working at Fresh &
Easy?
JH: I had a unique opportunity to build
something from the ground up here at Fresh & Easy. I used to
work with St. Regis Monarch Beach and that was great and
everything, but when Fresh & Easy reached out to me, I realized
I had a great opportunity and this bakery project would be a great
avenue to do what I want. This project is completely different from
what I did before, I get the opportunity to create new products and
for a reasonable price.
FE: What's your philosophy when it comes to
desserts and baking?
JH: Keep things straight forward, clean and simple. Let products
speak for themselves, there's no need for excess garnishes. It's
all about the subtle flavors. Enjoy for product for what it is.
FE: Out of all the new dessert products, which
are your favorites?
JH: The mini red velvet cupcakes are a
favorite. Developing a recipe with natural ingredients to get that
deep red color was a challenge. Most 'natural' red velvet recipes
contain crushed beetles for that red dye. But after lots of work,
we were finally able to use beet juice to get that red color
instead. And the cupcakes contain all the essential and natural
elements like the cocoa and the vinegar to create that sour and
sweet red velvet taste. Creating a clean and natural red velvet
cupcake made me really proud.
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