CHEF NOELLE MARCHETTI
Executive Pastry Chef, Noelle Marchetti oversees all pastry and desserts made property-wide at The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville, including creations for refined Italian restaurant, Yolan; rooftop bar, Denim; the Coffee Bar; in-room dining; weddings; and banquets. She constantly pushes the envelope, developing unique and daring desserts that are always beautifully plated and rich in flavor, showcasing the finest in-season ingredients. Chef Marchetti also created the famed focaccia recipe, a highlight of Yolan’stableside bread service.
The pastry chef began her career at Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah, where she immediately fell in love with the hotel industry. She then moved east and spent five years leading the pastry program at the Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge in Charlotte, North Carolina before joining the team at The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville. Marchetti grew up in the Hudson Valley in Kingston, New York where she was surrounded by fresh local food. She spent her younger days baking in the kitchen with her grandfather. She attended The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, where she graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors in pastry and baking. Marchetti currently resides in Nashville with her husband Dan and their dog Hoover.
Valrhona Cercle V – Meet the Chef Q&A with Executive Pastry Chef Noelle Marchetti of Yolan and The Joseph, a Luxury Collection, Nashville
What inspired you to enter the world of pastry?
My grandfather played a large role in my desire to pursue a career in the pastry world. As a child, he would tinker with recipes and see just how far he could change them before they no longer worked. I was fascinated with the science behind pastry and how even small alterations could drastically change a recipe. I was drawn to the organization of the process and the predictability of the results!
Where do you find inspiration for your creations?
My creative process begins with a variety of inspirations. Sometimes it starts with a flavor profile, and other times it can start with a piece of pottery or even a pastry tool. My style is modern and geometric, so I enjoy plating with shapes and clean lines. Each of my desserts also offer a mix of elements – shape, texture, color – for the eyes to playfully discover before taking a bite.
Who in your life has been the biggest mentor/inspiration in your career?
Ben and Lauren Kallenbach of Virtuoso Breadworks in Waxhaw, North Carolina, are two pastry chefs that have significantly impacted my career. Ben taught me how to run an efficient hotel pastry kitchen from top to bottom and how to build a team that always supports you. His wife Lauren opened my eyes to the world of bread and is an inspiring female leader in our industry. They are not only amazing pastry chefs, but care for their team, customers, and community as though they are family.
How is your team responding to the new realities of the world during and eventually post-COVID-19?
Flexibility is the new pastry accessory! With the new realities of the world, we find that we may need to bend a bit more than usual. My team takes new challenges in stride and uses those opportunities to think outside the box!
What Social Responsibility/Community initiative are you the most proud of taking part in?
Since arriving in Nashville, I have participated in several initiatives supporting food security, empowering women, and building a safe community for all. The fulfillment from each of these events inspired me to join the Nashville chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier to further my efforts to make a positive impact on the community in a variety of ways with fellow female leaders. I look forward to this new endeavor!
What are your hopes for the future of the world of food and pastry?
I hope the world of pastry continues to grow, evolve, and be shared. Social media has played a huge part in introducing people to the world of elaborate desserts and connecting those who make them.
What should the role of the food/pastry industry be in the community? The world? The environment?
I think the most important thing for pastry to bring to the world is happiness. When a guest receives one of my desserts, I want them to be blown away with the beauty, the detail, and the taste! Giving your complete attention to a delicious piece of heaven, carves out a little moment to escape the stressors of life – even if just for a moment.
What is your earliest dessert memory?
Nearly all my memories as a child involve dessert! Whether it was cake, pudding, candies, or ice cream, there was dessert for almost every meal. Breakfast dessert, lunch dessert, dinner dessert – they are all created (and fondly remembered) equally!
If you could pass one bit of insight down to a chef just getting their start, what would it be?
Connect with your team. They are your backbone and the pathway to your vision. How you treat your team, connect with them, and work together has a huge effect on accomplishing goals and building new leaders for the pastry industry.
What is your favorite perk of the Cercle V program?
My favorite part of the Cercle V program is the sneak peek at new products and the connection it provides with so many amazing chefs! I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with incredible leaders in the pastry world and have my creations alongside theirs.
When & how did you hear about Valrhona for the first time? / When & how did your “relationship” with Valrhona start?
I learned about Valrhona in my second hotel pastry kitchen. I immediately knew it was the best chocolate by the way I could work with it. Access to all the different chocolate lines also inspires me to create new desserts!
RAPID FIRE:
Nickname?
Noelle-Quenelle
Celsius or Fahrenheit?
Both
Favorite Valrhona Chocolate?
Bahibe
Favorite restaurant?
Le Chat Noir, New Orleans, LA
Favorite flavor pairing with chocolate?
Sea salt, nuts, and fruit!
Go to snack?
To be very honest, most of the time it’s a cookie. Oops!
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee (but make it sweet!)
Favorite kitchen tool?
Mini offset, the perfect quenelle spoon
Who do you follow on social media?
David Vidal, Antonio Bachour, Angel Betancourt, Amaury Guichon, Alice Medrich, Pastry Arts Magazine, Silikomart, and of course Valrhona, to name a few!
Favorite type of dessert to make? To eat?
To make: Plated desserts and buffet items
To eat: Anything with custard!
