Four Inane Questions with The Pantry KC’s Dee Patel 

Photo Courtesy of Melissa Guzman

Dee Patel graduated with her degree in genetics at Purdue. However, instead of becoming a revered molecular pathologist, Patel shifted gears a tiny bit. Well, a lotta bit. “I started baking as a hobby and quickly realized just how passionate I was about it,” she says. 

So, molecules be damned, Patel enrolled in the New England Culinary Institute—one of the most world-renowned programs in the country. There she found her calling and her love of anything flaky, buttery, or doughy. 

As her bakery skills blossomed, so did her job opportunities. Patel has worked in some of the most distinguished pastry joints in the U.S., including The Omni at Mt. Washington in New Hampshire and The Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado. Patel’s innovative, gluten-y goodness even got her noticed by the Food Network, where she was invited to compete in 2018’s Spring Baking Championship. 

These days, Patel enjoys unleashing her carb-tastic fare at her popular Lenexa bakery, The Pantry KC. But be advised, Patel is so busy catering corporate events and luncheons, that her bakery is only open during weekends. (Strongly recommend getting the strawberry-rhubarb pie while you’re there.)

Growing up in Wales, Patel mentions she has truly lived all over the world, but now calls Kansas City home. “I always wanted to open my own place,” she says. “Now I’m baking on a smaller, artisanal scale where I can experiment and put my own unique twist on my pastries and desserts.”

We pinged Patel with our wacky questionnaire, while she was whipping up a gigantic batch of her world-famous biscuits and gravy. They’re only available the first weekend of each month. You’ve been warned. We’re fairly certain we hit our entire monthly caloric intake while waiting for her answers. Bless. 

The Pitch: If you were a frosting, what frosting would you be?  

Dee Patel: Italian meringue buttercream! I’m obsessed with it. It’s not too sweet and it’s so buttery and smooth. None of that graininess you have in American buttercream. It’s also quite fickle. Takes some practice to get good at making big batches. Plus, that’s literally a description of me: ‘Not too sweet, fickle, and 90 percent butter.’

Growing up in the UK, Italian buttercream or Chantilly were the go-to for baked goods. My family really enjoys cake and a cup of tea at the end of the night. It’s still something my parents do. Dig into a slice of Victoria sponge cake and a cup of tea before bedtime. I had no idea as a kid that it was such a labor of love.

Are you a squash-the-bug-kinda-person or let-the-bug-go-kinda-person? 

I’m a total monster! Squash it and make sure the job is done. No survivors because those are the ones resilient enough to construct nests and come back with reinforcements or to get revenge.

I’ve been this way my whole life with zero sympathy from my parents. They grew up in India and Kenya where every bug is the size of an adult foot. They are just okay with critters getting cozy inside the house. I have a scorched earth policy when making life decisions for anything that has an exoskeleton.

Photo Courtesy of Melissa Guzman

What card/board game can you absolutely crush?

If I have to pick just one game it would be Five Crowns. Also, I come from an insanely competitive family. On a family game night with the cousins, there was bloodshed. 

The truth is, when we have friends over for game nights. I am mentally ready to crush people and hurt feelings while acting like I’m so calm and okay on the outside. 

Admit it, what’s the perfect sweet/savory combo? 

A savory scone with honey butter. There are so many reasons why I had to choose this. First of all, I make the best scones in KC! Second, scones are so unpretentious and simple that you can make them with the ingredients you have lying around. And third, you don’t need an occasion for them. They’re good any day and all times of the day. 

Also, it hurts my heart to see a frosted scone. The right way to eat a scone is with clotted cream. I call mine Johnsonshire clotted cream. Some counties in the UK are very passionate about their clotted cream, so this is me doing my part to put JoCo on the clotted cream map. 

Bonus 5th Question: What’s your most prized framed photo? 

My parents had some family portraits taken back in the mid-90s. There’s one large portrait from that day at my parent’s house of my brother and myself in our finest Indian outfits. For weeks, this portrait was in the studio’s main street shop window as the ‘portrait of the week.’ 

It was so exciting in the dorkiest way. We lived in such a teeny-tiny town with only one other family of color. My parents owned a convenience store so we were known by everyone. But, for some reason, there was a feeling of celebrity in people coming up to us to let us know they had seen the portrait—and loved it.