Claudia Fleming - The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern

Its easy to look at a winning bet in retrospect and then to proudly pat yourself on the back. Id like to say that I knew from the start Claudia Fleming would be the perfect pastry chef for Gramercy Tavern, but actually, Im not sure I had ever even tasted Claudias desserts when we hired her.

I first met Claudia in 1987 when she was interviewing to become a server at Union Square Cafe. Even from half a room away, I could feel her warmth, poise, and intelligence. I knew we would hire her before I even sat down for the interview. During her time at Union Square Cafe, I grew to admire Claudia for her dancers dignity, competence, and self-assurance. She has an extraordinary work ethic and is amazingly self-sufficient. She was one of the few servers I had ever met who wouldnt permit me to help bus her station! She is also passionate about learning new things. It didnt take long before Claudias curiosity led her to the Union Square Cafe kitchen and into the pastry station. After several months, her passion for pastry carried her off to study in France, and we were sad to lose her.

In early 1994, when Gramercy Tavern was in construction, I heard that Claudia had returned from Paris and was working part-time as a consulting pastry chef in New York. Chef Tom Colicchio and I were looking for a talented pastry chef for Gramercy Tavern, but not one whose already established style would have to be melded with Toms. We wanted to find someone who would have the flexibility, persistence, and innate ability to grow with us. When we made the decision to hire Claudia, it was based purely on my sense of her as a person and Toms confidence that he would be entirely comfortable collaborating with her as a cook. We knew that Claudias personality meshed perfectly with our approach to the restaurant, so we followed our instincts.

It couldnt have turned out better. Claudias desserts strike a perfect balance between heart and mind, providing the ultimate close to the dining experience at Gramercy Tavern. Just as the restaurant strives to combine luxury with warm, down-to-earth hospitality, Claudias desserts are based on purity, elegance, and grace, but omit fancified elements like pulled sugar or gold leaf. She creates outstanding combinations by treating perfect Greenmarket strawberries as if theyre little jewels and making the most technically perfect chocolate tartlet you could imagine; then she has the confidence to toss those berries with tarragon, or to serve the tart with a miniature chocolate malted. Claudias ideas never seem like whimsy for the sake of whimsy. They thoroughly demonstrate the knowledge, savvy, and technical expertise that she has been so determined to master. Just watching her amazingly strong, adept hands at work is enough to convince me that this is what she was always meant to be doing.

Over her years as Gramercy Taverns pastry chef, Claudia has grown more confident and authoritative, and so have her desserts. Theyve become purer and more delicious, and, as always, they make sense. You can taste much pleasure in these desserts because they are conceived and prepared entirely for your enjoyment, rather than for the pastry chefs own edification. Claudia is an unusually empathetic personhow people feel matters a lot to her, and this makes her desserts even more satisfying to the soul. It also helps that she has extraordinary taste. But perhaps most remarkable is Claudias rare combination of humility and excellence. I dont know many people who possess those two qualities in such harmonious abundance.

When you leave a meal at Gramercy Tavern, your last impression is a powerful one: you feel comforted in your heart and stimulated in your mind. Claudias desserts are an essential component of thisand I just cant imagine how dinner at Gramercy Tavern could end on a more delicious note.

Danny Meyer, owner, Gramercy Tavern