We recently connected with Lyndsey Barton and have shared our conversation below.

Lyndsey , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I’ve worked on a variety of projects in my career in Pastry, and I have surely learned something from each one. The word meaningful means having a serious, important, or useful quality or purpose. After completing my training at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts campus in Dallas, I moved to Las Vegas. My main purpose for relocating to Vegas was to be in an internationally major resort city. Las Vegas is well known for its gambling, fine dining, entertainment, shopping, and nightlife. To me, being in Vegas meant that I would get to prepare desserts for the best of the best, have the pleasure of meeting many people from all walks of life, and would be set apart from the other pastry professionals across the country. I shared my interest in Las Vegas with my family ,friends, classmates, and co-workers quite often. It was the winter or 2017 when I decided that I wanted to move to Las Vegas, NV to become a Pastry Chef. My determination, hard work, passion, and urge is what led me to being hired as the Pastry Chef de Partie at a trendy, high-end Japanese restaurant located inside of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The most meaningful project that I have worked on was being the Pastry Sous Chef located inside of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Throughout my career as a Pastry chef, I’ve prepared desserts for many private parties for A-list celebrities and some of America’s most amazing people. Just to name a few, Television Food Networks very own American celebrity chef and reality television personality Bobby Flay & American Chef, restaurateur, television, and radio personality Andrew Zimmern. I have also designed dessert for Founder & CEO of FUBU, Investor on the reality television series Shark Tank, Daymond John. The Chicago Bulls Basketball team of the National Basketball Association. Then there was American model Amber Rose, Rock band artist and American singer-songwriter John Francis Bongiovi Jr. known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi. So, one of my most favorite private parties I had the privilege to present my desserts to was American singer-songwriter, science-fiction author, and actress Janelle Monáe. While being with the company I was invited to travel and develop desserts for the location in Boston. The month I stayed in Boston I had the pleasure to create dessert for an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League, Damien Harris. Also, American professional basketball players for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum. I was also given the opportunity to arrange desserts for the entire American professional basketball team and coaches of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. That night was special, it was Easter Sunday and one of my most meaningful projects because Kevin Durant was seated at the Chefs Table. So why is it meaningful to me? My entire period being a Pastry Sous Chef was efficiently and skillfully well spent. The dream I once envisioned had come to life. To have your dreams that you’ve hoped and wished for come true is one of the most astonishing feelings in the world. It means a great deal of success to have the ability to cross off items listed under your short/long term goals list.  Having the capability to being able to add such strong, powerful individuals to my resume means the world to me.While working at Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck in Dallas I’ve plated desserts for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League, Coach Jason Garrett & football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo. Tony Romo and his wife were what we call “regulars” at Five Sixty restaurant. 

Lyndsey , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

African- American Pastry Chef Lyndsey Barton from Port Arthur, Texas by way of Beaumont, Texas currently located in Las Vegas, NV. Barton began her journey as a French styled Master Pastry Chef & Food Artist at the age of 18. Barton studied at the Le cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in 2010 where she studied Professional Baking and Patisserie. I’ve always known that I wanted to attend culinary college, I just didn’t know which campus was the best campus for me. I enrolled in Le cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, TX & graduated with a Culinary Arts Management Degree. Shortly after finishing at the Austin campus, I transferred to the Le Cordon Bleu campus in Dallas, TX in 2015. There I received my Associates Degree in Professional Baking & Patisserie. Mastering the Pastry & Confectionery program, craft making, plated and boutique style desserts, world delicacies and precise decorating techniques. While studying in Dallas I was hired as a Pastry Cook with Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Pucks fine dining groups. I worked inside of Reunion Tower Downtown Dallas at the famous Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck refined Asian fare and sushi restaurant. There I worked alongside of some of the countries most talented, skilled, kitchen professionals and chefs. Shortly after I was promoted to Pastry Chef de Partie. Once I graduated in 2017, I knew that there was a much larger scale of competition in the city of Las Vegas. I began to travel to Vegas on my off days just to see what the city had to offer. The bright lights & high fashion surely caught my attention along with the tons of resort properties that I could potentially be a part of.

During my time well spent at Five-Sixty by Wolfgang Puck located in Reunion Tower; I also had the opportunity to prepare fine dining French styled party desserts for Chef Wolfgang Puck & working by the side of Corporate Executive Pastry Chef Kamel Guechida was the experience of a lifetime. How did I get to where I am today professionally ? I got to where I am today professionally by being humble & absorbent. Understanding that you can never know everything, there is always something new to learn. There can be 20 ways to make a good ice cream , but 3 ways to make a great ice cream. Which is much easier, more efficient & also always reliable. Was it easy ? How did I overcome the challenges ? Nothing will be easy, being strong minded helped me remain positive, keeping my mind clear of all negative possibilities that could happen along the way. Sometimes it’s just knowing when to say when. Understanding that no news is sometimes good news. Some of the lessons I have learned along the way have molded me into the chef I am today. Being comfortable in your own situations during difficult times can make your kitchen journey seem a little less stressful. Make yourself at home , get comfortable but not too comfortable. I learned that you must speak up for yourself in the professional world. The cat can’t have your tongue if you want your voice to be heard or your ideas to be shared. Become confident in yourself and your craft, knowing that you can & will succeed. What do I want the world to know about me and my brand? We are one of a kind by far. Gluten-free has become the new normal in America, and in my life as well . A portion of the desserts we create have Gluten-free modifications. Vegan options are also on the menu, from the simple Lemon Poppyseed muffin to the famous Banana Walnut muffin. Those tasty Gluten-free products are prepared along with organic fresh fruit juices as well as organic vegetable juices. Food nutrition is currently my field of study. I have been recently drawn to the food nutrition and dietitian fun facts. Creating my own diet plans as well as food modifications in my everyday diet. The style flavor profile I have created is very authentic and one of  kind. You will never be able to taste the same flavors or smell the same aroma anywhere else in the world. Southern style cooking & all the southern flavored baked goods are in my roots. The dessert illusions I create are excellent in taste as well as beauty on a plate. My desserts are best known for their high-quality flavors, their creative display & realistic value. I often like to think of myself as an inspiration. I Motivate, I Inspire, I Teach, and  I Connect! I’m a Witness to Dreams turning into Realities! If you can dream it, you can have it. I enjoy sharing with people to be careful what you ask for because you just might get it.What sets me apart from others is my passion and creativity, the creativity is defined as Food Art. I have the professional ability to construct desserts from their basic slice of cake and scooped ice-cream form into a thing that is or is likely to be wrongly perceived or interpreted by the senses. Dessert Illusions are a deceptive appearance or impression. The desserts I develop are a high-end styled, fancy, classy approach to the trendy customer. That is the exact definition of what sets my creativity apart from the other pastry professional.

During my free time I enjoy dining at high-end restaurants ordering the entire dessert menu. First, I look over the drink menu to choose a dessert flavored cocktail. Then I like to ask the server to educate me on their newest desserts that may be in season. Most of the time I am fond of tasting the entire dessert menu. The benefit of dessert tasting gives me the opportunity to be a guest. I get to enjoy different flavor profiles as well as experience what other great chefs have come up with. I love to share some of my professional technique & skills with the other talented pastry artist in the industry.  The Art of Desserts. What we do are called pop-ups. We like to host many different events through traveling. I am well known for my many elegant, fancy styled desserts. 

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Resilience is a feature of your character that demonstrates the ability to bend but not break. I would love to share a personal story that illustrates my resilience. In the Winter of 2020, I discovered that my partner and I were pregnant. I had just received a promotion with the company, and I was ready to take on the new role as Pastry Sous Chef. Shortly after uncovering the positive pregnancy results, I was determined to continue my profession. I was the highest-ranking chef at the time, doing my best to fulfill the great demand the job required.  It wasn’t until I had become five months pregnant when my professional career started to take a turn. Not having the amount of energy and stamina I once had, my performance started to decline. In the Las Vegas kitchens it can become a very hectic environment to work. Due to the high volume of production and mass preparation that was needed for the Las Vegas location, things were starting to affect my health. During my fifth month of pregnancy, I was declared as a high-risk carrier and was placed on bed rest for weeks at a time. That took me completely away from the kitchen environment which forced me to hand the job responsibilities and duties to someone else. Mentally I was hurt but physically I had to do what was best for myself and my gift of joy that was baking in my oven. My company supported me one thousand percent which I greatly appreciated. I gave birth to my healthy baby boy in the month of September 2021. I remained on maternity leave through-out the holiday season up until February of 2022. My entire time on leave I often feared that I would have lost my skillful talents and witty kitchen abilities. Soon as I returned into the quick, fast paced kitchen environment in Las Vegas I got straight back into the groove of things, and it felt as if I had never left. Being a first-time mother had me thinking that my entire life would be over, due to giving birth to a baby. I was completely wrong, life still goes on and your dreams can and will still come true even after you have your little bundles of joy. My lesson learned was that children don’t stop anything, they just add more excitement to the life you already have. Here is a picture of my Handsome, healthy , happy baby boy By the name of Baby AJ. He brings an enormous amount of joy to my life, planting peace into my heart.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a food artist and creative is the chance of being happy. When you can create what’s on your mind that day you are fulfilling your potential. To fulfill your potential then creates the privilege of happiness. Even though happiness is convenient it is also rare to many. The other most rewarding aspect of being a Food Artist is also being able to make others happy. Every smile, every special moment that I can contribute to someone else’s happiness brings me the most joy. Being a Pastry chef gives me more freedom allowing me to be more creative. It provides the opportunity to create new and interesting flavors with trendy designs. The reward is having the power to alternate recipes, changing the ratios, and adding new ingredients to make your own desserts. Traveling ,being science oriented, given the opportunity to work in various setting and being creative allows you to exercise your talent. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/LyndseyBarton
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/idesign.food/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/lyndsey-barton-38580517a
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCmRL1sWT9YevU6D9tp-AA7Q/videos
• Other: https://shoutoutdfw.com/meet-lyndsey-barton-pastry-chef/

Image Credits
Barton Street Photography

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