Mise en Place: From daydream to dream job, Steph Castor encourages #dessertfirst

Steph Castor // Photo By Paytience Rose

Mise en Place is a French term generally referring to a chef’s discipline and organization. Everything in its place. 

In February of 2022, Managing Editor Steph Castor suggested this as a title for our interview-style restaurant industry column. Now, in a full-circle moment, Steph Castor is the subject of the interview, having transitioned out of The Pitch and into her lifelong dream job earlier this year: Head Baker at Ramen Bowls. 

The Pitch: Talk to us about the transition from Managing Editor to Head Baker.

Steph Castor: It was a pretty natural transition for me. I mean, I’ve loved baking since I was 19 years old. I tried to go into culinary school in my sophomore or junior year of college, just to find out that they only took 15 students per session into their pastry program. Since I had already finished 75% of my English degree I decided I was not gonna waste time waiting around for the culinary chance. 

But at that time I was vegan–I love vegan baking. It’s something I’ve always done over the years. It’s a passion.

With leaving The Pitch, I had to kind of deconstruct how I worked. Here I have a lot of autonomy, whereas at The Pitch, there’s always somebody else to talk to you about something. Whereas here, I’m kind of left to my own devices, and whatever I want to make I make, and if somebody doesn’t like it, they’ll tell me.

The schedule is wildly different. I wake up at 6 a.m. every day, and I’m here by 7. I work in person 40 hours a week, whereas at The Pitch it was a lot of working from home, which we all know means you can squeeze in laundry and things like that. But at The Pitch, I did a lot of daydreaming about baking. Here, there’s not much daydreaming because I’m just doing it, which is wild, but also the days go by very quickly.

What skills (if any) from journalism translated to your new role?

People management. I am technically a manager here, though I don’t have a lot of direct influence throughout the day, but I’m in charge of the boba program, shave ice, and pastry. And it’s working with a lot of younger people. Working at The Pitch really helped me navigate different personality types and know when somebody is just inexperienced, versus lazy.

I know you’ve worked with James Beard Award-nominated Saltwell Farm Kitchen before. What is something they do that restauranteurs or even entrepreneurs could learn from?

Saltwell has done a really great job of being an incubator of sorts for people who want to get into hospitality. I’m not talking just the restaurant industry, but like hospitality, as a whole–like taking care of people through you know, food, acts of service, like making people feel like they’re part of an experience. 

Especially with me, they took a chance of letting me handle all their desserts and specialty cakes for almost a year. And I had no restaurant experience before that. So they invite people into their team and give them the opportunity to do the thing, and generally end up with a connection to their work and to the people they’re serving.

Courtesy Steph Castor

Is there an ingredient or flavor that people probably won’t find on the Ramen Bowls dessert menu?

It’s probably not a popular opinion, but I really don’t like marshmallows. So finding something s’mores flavored is probably not very likely coming from me unless it’s requested. 

What about a favorite or signature flavor?

The favorite flavor combination that has proven perfect for consumers I worked with in the past is a trio of passionfruit, coffee, and caramel.

What inspires you and your flavors?

So I talked about daydreaming at The Pitch. A lot of the recipe ideas I came up with were from me just daydreaming about places I wanted to visit, and how could I encapsulate that experience in a little pastry or shave ice. Like summarizing a destination. 

Do you stick to Ramen Bowls Japanese-Hawaiian destinations for creating your menu, or do you let it be independent? 

Stylistically, I stick to the theme. I don’t want to make a super high-end gastronomical dish for a place that is supposed to be comforting. It’s a more casual, homey experience but elevated. But you’ll see like, these Instagram influencers who are doing these wild pastries that have like, clouds melting into shit, like–that’ll be really cool to do, but that’s not the experience that we’re giving people. I don’t want to outshine anything that’s currently happening here. 

Amidst the hustle of the food industry, what self-care tools are working for you right now?

I am such a nerd. And I love to go rockhounding. It’s being out in nature, it’s getting exercise and hiking. And I love to find things, it’s just really satisfying. Something I try to do like when it’s nice out and have a day off. 

I wish I could say I get to the gym more but I don’t because the restaurant industry is very taxing on the body. And by the time I have a day off, my body doesn’t want to do much. But do a lot of Netflix. Currently, I’m binging a show called The Curse of Oak Island from The History Channel. My partner and I are planning a trip to Nova Scotia in July, I found out that that show takes place pretty close to where we’re staying. So I’ve been obsessing over it, not to mention the whole rock-hounding part of me. 

What’s your go-to meal after a long day at work?

I love to grill. Tacos, anything West Coast-inspired. I like to get back there and be covered in smoke.

Is there a dream collab you have in mind?

I think we (The Pitch) covered him in the past, but Steven from Two Bears Bakery. He now handles desert at BonBon here in Lawrence. I just ran into him a couple of weeks ago and we were gushing about how fun it would be to do something together. And then of course, Alyssa at Blackhole Bakery. You know, they’re such a KC icon. And then Kelsey from Little Butter Bakery.

What are some restaurant trends that you would like to see?

I’d like to see this #dessertfirst thing happen. People have talked about dessert first, but not everybody goes seeking out dessert, especially at a place like Ramen Bowls. I have a lot of pride in like what I do here, but by the time people are finished eating their meal, they’re often too full to order dessert. It’d be really cool to be a dessert destination, and for restaurants to be a little bit more known for their pastry program.

Courtesy Steph Castor

What place to do you consider to have a stellar dessert program?

The Town Company. It’s amazing. 

What does a typical day look like for you?

So the first thing I do when I get here is put on a pot of boiling water to make boba. Then I get to work on my dough for Malasadas, which are Portuguese-style donuts that became very popular in Hawaii. That takes two to three hours to make depending on humidity, room temp, and all that kind of stuff. Next, I’ll check over shaved ice syrups, see what needs to be replenished, and then all get to work on weekend dessert specials. During the slower days of the week, that’s when I experiment and see what exciting new things I can do. We have a couple of permanent desert menu items, but on weekends I’ll do something special.

Do you rely on any local purveyors for ingredients?

I will go to Crum’s Heirlooms any chance I get to see what produce they have available. They provide edible flowers for us, and sometimes I get the opportunity to go out there and pick it myself which is really cool. I hope to start using Marion Milling products once we get on our feet a little bit more. I am actually going to experiment with the rye flour for a local wild foods competition in June. A lot of the ingredients I work with are fruit because of the nature of this restaurant’s Hawaiian and Japanese influence, which implies not-so-local ingredients.

Whoa, tell us about this wild food competition!

It’s put on at the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center. I think they do it annually, in June. They have a sweets category, and I’m experimenting with rye flour and some local wild berries.