Name:
Stephanie Yu
Professional Website:
Bridges Restaurant and Bar
What are some of your favorite Pacific Gourmet products?:
The fruit purees, and chocolate selection! There’s a plethora of choices for any flavor profile to match any chocolate desserts.
Why do you enjoy working with Pacific Gourmet?:
Pacific Gourmet carries a large variety of specialty products that I can’t get elsewhere, with competitive pricing. The customer service is also top notch, with knowledgeable staff.
Do you have a recipe to share with the PG community?
Herb Ricotta Cheesecake
Makes 1 – 9″ cheesecake
Cream cheese 20 oz.
Ricotta cheese, pureed 24 oz.
Sugar 1 3/4 cup
Eggs 6
Yolk 1
AP flour 2 tbsp.
Salt 1/4 tsp.
Vanilla extract 1 1/2 tsp.
Tarragon, minced 2 tbsp.
Bake graham cracker crust into 9″ springform pan, let cool.
Beat cream cheese until smooth, gradually add sugar then pureed ricotta and herbs.
Add eggs and beat on medium speed until incorporated, scrape well.
On low, add in remaining ingredients, pour into springform pan with crust, and bake until set, about 40 minutes, longer as needed.
Chill overnight and serve with mandarin coulis!
Bio:
An East Bay native, Stephanie Yu’s pastry inspiration began at a very young age following her mother around the kitchen baking cookies for family and friends. It was her mother’s passion for cooking and baking that motivated her to pursue pastries after graduating from UC Irvine with a degree in psychology/social behavior. A brief stint in the IT world was all the convincing needed to try staging in some of San Francisco’s well respected restaurants.
Eventually landing her first restaurant position at Oliveto Restaurant in Oakland, she learned the importance of seasonality, fresh and local ingredients. After a year of honing her pastry and bread making skills, the timing seemed appropriate to venture out seeking more experience. The past few years were spent refining her personal pastry style holding positions at Paula Le Duc Catering, Waterbar Restaurant, and Facebook HQ in Menlo Park.
Stephanie makes her dishes to take on classic comfort flavors with a whimsical, modern twist. Utilizing season’s, “freshest and best” has become her mantra. Coming full circle who would have known that an early childhood memory would have turned into a fulfilling career as a pastry chef.
LinkedIn Bio: