Executive pastry Chef Michael Brown ready for 'sweet venture' with Foreman Wolf Group

Gazing into a refrigerated glass case inside Petit Louis Bistro's comptoir dessert counter in Columbia, executive pastry Chef Michael Brown squints his eyes while reviewing his recently baked, colorful French creations on display.On the top level, heaps of macaroons — with flavors like birthday cake, peach and strawberry — sit on pedestals just above chocolate- and vanilla-coated eclairs and creme-filled pastries. Mini rectangular cakes are spread out on the shelf below, compiled of layers of ingredients that come together in one unique taste.Foreman Wolf Group welcomed its new executive pastry Chef Michael Brown to its restaurants in Columbia and Baltimore. Brown's pastry production is based out of Petit Louis Bistro at the Columbia Lakefront.Pastry production is based out of Petit Louis Bistro at the Columbia Lakefront, Brown said, with his desserts then made available to Baltimore's Petit Louis in Roland Park, Johnny's and Pazo. Other pastry teams are in place at the Cinghiale and Charleston locations.&quot;I chose the Foreman Wolf Group because they're very big in using local produce and they strive to only use the best ingredients and seasonal ingredients,&quot; Brown said. &quot;Everything is made from scratch and everything is made to the highest of quality.&quot;Brown joined Foreman Wolf Group in July after working as the assistant pastry chef at the Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C., since 2015. But, he said his love for pastries dates back even further.After graduating from high school in 2005, Brown said he traveled to Scotland and worked as line cook for La Taverna Italian restaurant, preparing main course ingredients and dishes. There, he was introduced to the restaurant's pastry preparation, beginning with its homemade tiramisu.&quot;The first time I ever tasted the tiramisu I was blown away by the authenticity of it,&quot; he said. &quot;The passion that was involved in the making of it just really struck me. I felt such a calling toward it. I felt like creating something like that, feeding that to somebody and getting that result in their face.&quot;His interest in pursuing pastry brought Brown back to South Africa in 2006, he said, where he studied hot meal preparation, known as &quot;hot kitchen,&quot; at Capsicum Culinary Studio in Pretoria. After his hot kitchen studies, followed by pastry preparation, Brown chose to continue his pastry studies and completed an internship at Cafe Mozart Midrand, in South Africa.Chef Michael Brown is the new executive pastry chef of Foreman Wolf Restaurant Group.The cafe's German master confectioner, Franz Fletcher, later hired Brown as a commis, or beginner, pastry chef.&quot;The passion that [Fletcher] had for pastry, I've still yet to meet anybody with that passion,&quot; Brown said. &quot;His whole insight on the way things are supposed to be done has laid my foundations. That's why I've very old school. I like to follow exact procedure and have an exact product.&quot;In 2010, Brown moved to New York to further develop his precision and consistency in pastry at several world-class country clubs, later traveling back to South Africa to work at various top-chains hotels.Brown made his return to the U.S. in 2014, when he became the head banquet pastry chef at Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago in West Palm Beach, Fla., preparing for events from small private meetings to large guest weddings and galas. The job at the Willard InterContinental followed, and then he landed in Columbia.&quot;I was impressed with Michael's skill level and dedication, but also his dedication to precision and accuracy in French pastry art,&quot; Foreman said. &quot;Michael is inspired and creative with great ideas on new and traditional pastries for the restaurants and for private events of the Foreman Wolf group. He has had almost a romantic impact on the clients with his desserts and pastries and it is wonderful to see. He does excellent creative work.&quot;The creative arts are crucial in French pastry making, Foreman added, while leaving customers speechless and satisfied.&quot;I came here wanting to change a lot of things,&quot; Brown said. &quot;Everything was very good, I just wanted to put my stamp on everything.&quot;Brown said the team begins each day analyzing and finalizing the pastry production list that was prepared the day before. Once the work is split up among the team, Brown said he joins the staff in the production process, hopefully working on his favorite French desserts, the Gateau Opéra, also known as Opera Cake, or macaroons.Opera Cake is layered with jaconde, almond sponge cake, coffee syrup, chocolate hazelnut ganache and espresso buttercream, he said.&quot;Each component is just so good on its own,&quot; Brown said. &quot;Then, when you lay them together, the combination of all those individually good products together forms this one fantastic product.&quot;While the flavors and shapes of macaroons have also come a long way over the last few years, Brown said the preparation process is still very difficult, as the chef must follow precise measures in each step.&quot;The versatility is just fantastic,&quot; Brown said. &quot;It never ceases to amaze what people can come up with and then you're always trying to replicate that or come up with your own ideas. They're just an old classic and they keep on regenerating themselves and coming out with new, crazier versions.&quot;As downtown Columbia continues to grow and expand, Foreman said he hopes Petit Louis Bistro will remain a cornerstone in the community.No matter the task at hand, Brown said he's always enveloped in complete enjoyment and fulfillment when in the kitchen and has many visions for the future of Petit Louis Bistro in Columbia.&quot;This property has a lot of potential and I would like to bring out a lot more French flair and make it a lot more refined and offer a wider range of items that are now available,&quot; Brown said. &quot;We would like to give people what they want and give them what they didn't think they wanted but now would like. I would like this to become the go-to place for French pastries and just desserts in general.&quot;

Executive pastry Chef Michael Brown ready for 'sweet venture' with Foreman Wolf Group

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