Rea Scur has been living in New Zealand for eleven years. Brazil-born, she started baking at home at the age of 12, growing up in a family with an Italian background that always cooked from scratch.
“We made our own bread, and our kitchen was a happy place for our family to get together.”
Scur studied her first pastry qualification in New Zealand, working mostly with bread and in fondant cake production until she came across French entremet desserts. This discovery was a turning point, and Scur knew exactly what she wanted to create, researching courses in Paris, France.
Now, as Pastry Chef at Sweet Soul Patisserie, patience, preparation and technique are the focus of Scur’s approach to baking. Her favourite item to create is Paris-Brest - a choux pastry filled with hazelnut praline and mousseline cream.
Sweet Soul Patisserie is located at the heart of Christchurch, the first fine patisserie shop in the city. Scur delights locals with the best cakes, pastries and desserts, including an offering of gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options.
The chef works with high-quality ingredients to create new entremets according to seasons and inspirations. Over the past few years, the Sweet Soul Spiced Caramel Apple entremet has become an icon. The dessert is Scur’s favourite from the patisserie’s set-menu classic range. The sweet treat features a light spiced mousse, caramelised apple insert, gingerbread crumble and caramel cake. The look is spectacular, sure to draw a customer's eye in a cabinet line-up, as the chef focuses time and effort on the perfect red glaze.
The pastry chef has seen a major trend of veganism coming through the baking space and strongly believes the offering is important to have in Sweet Souls’ range. Being able to recreate the delicate textures and flavours that go into an entremet in a vegan capacity has taken time. The chef has come up with piña colada inspired entremets (a touch of toasted coconut rum, caramelised pineapple, coconut mousse and dark chocolate), mango-centric (mango mousse, orange cream, mango confit, coconut caramel and exotic cake) and more.
“I can’t describe how I feel working in a kitchen. That feeling of connection with the food and the people you cook for is the greatest.”
Customer feedback and smiles are a reason for Scur to keep going with her amazing creations. The patisserie has a strong engagement with the community and often offers options for celebrations by creating limited edition, unique desserts for festivities.
Soon, Sweet Soul Patisserie is moving premises as the business expands its range and hopes to offer new experiences.
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