Chocolate Creations Boost Popular Seattle Pastry Chef Into National Limelight

Jessica Campbell, Pastry Chef of Seattle’s Yarrow Bay Grill and Café at the Point talks about chocolate.

By Patricia D. Sherman

The chocolate creations of Pastry Chef Jessica Campbell have been wowing diners in her native Seattle for years. In the past two years, though, she has been in demand beyond the Pacific Northwest. Her travels as part of “The Three Divas of Carillon Point” have taken her to Disney/Epcot in 2004, where she was a featured guest chef along with Chef Vicky McCaffree of the Yarrow Bay Grill and Chef Cameon Orel of the Beach Café at the Point.  She was a guest chef at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City in April 2005.  This October, the Divas will be featured guest chefs on Holland America’s 10-day cruise from Venice throughout the Mediterranean.

ChocolateAtlas.com recently asked Chef Jessica about her fascination with chocolate.

CA:  What is your chocolate philosophy?

JC: Chocolate is my favorite ingredient to work with.  It is extremely flexible as a medium for desserts.  There is such a wide range of types and flavors, that the creative possibilities are endless.  Chocolate works with almost any other “sweet” ingredient and many savory ones as well. 

CA: What is your favorite kind of chocolate to work with and why? What chocolate do you prefer to eat?

JC: My favorite chocolate to consume is the bitterest one I can find, and it must be pure, flavorwise. At home I enjoy Lindt, Green and Black, and many of the new organic chocolates. At work, I like to use a variety.  Scharffenberger is fun because of its distinctive flavor.  There is so much going on with it, that I usually keep my dessert creation simple, so that you can taste all of the complexities.  I also love Valrhona for its smoothness.  It is very creamy and rich, and their milk chocolate is to die for!   In addition, I work with Callebaut chocolate as it tempers well and is very cost efficient.

CA: What are your first chocolate memories:

JC: My chocolate memories are numerous.  It has always been an important part of my life as my mom is a chocoholic.  Every birthday without fail, has included “the chocolate cake.”

CA: Other than desserts, how do you use chocolate?

JC: At Yarrow Bay I rarely create large chocolate sculptures, but I do use it for garnish, mostly with transfer sheets.  I also like to grind up cocoa nibs for a simple garnish.

CA: What are the most unusual chocolate creations you’ve seen?

JC: The most unusual chocolate creations I have seen are the incredible chocolate outfits created for chocolate fashion shows.  Now, those are amazing!

More About Chef Jessica

Seattle native Jessica Campbell has always loved to bake.  As a girl she spent happy hours in the kitchen with her mother creating desserts. After graduating with degree in anthropology-- “To satisfy my parents,” says Jessica. She immediately went into training for her first love, creating pastries.

Her interests were very specific and focused on sweets rather than savories.  She graduated from South Seattle Community College’s Culinary Arts Program in 1996 and went to work at Yarrow Bay in catering.  She worked first with Cameon Orel (now chef of the Beach Café at the Point) and then began to help chef Vicky McCaffree in the fine dining Yarrow Bay Grill.

Jessica left to become pastry chef at Virazon restaurant when it opened in downtown Seattle.  However, Vicky McCaffree convinced Jessica to return to the Yarrow Bay Grill in 1998.  She left in 2000, following Vicky to become the pastry chef for Waterfront restaurant on Seattle’s Pier 70, and then returned, as did Vicky, in 2002.

Jessica is now at home at the Yarrow Bay Grill, much to her many fans delight.  Her beautifully creative and delicious desserts have received much acclaim.

“I can’t imagine having better ingredients than those available to me seasonally here in the Pacific Northwest” says Jessica.  “The gorgeous fruit picked right off the vine or tree and our wonderful local products are a constant inspiration. I love to create new menu items and hope to put Yarrow Bay and Kirkland on the map as the place to satisfy your sweet cravings.”

An active member of the culinary community, Jessica has conducted classes at local cooking schools as well as at the Yarrow Bay Grill and Macy’s Department Store. She has been a featured chef on cooking shows, and she has contributed to cookbooks. 

One of Jessica’s favorite creations currently on the menu is her Chocolate Dream – a rich, dense chocolate cake with caramel, raspberries and other fresh berries. Her Chocolate Chocolate Bang Bang with Gianduja Truffle Sauce is featured in ChocolateAtlas.com Signature Recipes. 

©ChocolateAtlas.com

Contact us:  Editor  Webmaster