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Meet Joburg’s bad boy of pâtisserie, Chef Jared Melamed. Knowing Jared, he’ll hate the label, but it fits: he’s unapologetic and refreshingly raw. He’s the underdog you want to succeed.
Jared makes seriously good pâtisserie, a few in-the-know have said it’s the best in the city, but that’s a conversation for another day. What we can say, without a doubt, is that every piece is a pleasure to taste and exquisite to behold. His pastry is delicate and short, and he doesn’t compromise on ingredients: butter and flour imported from France, chocolate from Belgium and only the best in fresh cream, Jared explains, “When you understand pastry, you have no alternative but to respect it… and in France they don’t compromise on quality.”
Jared’s been around the block, learnt some tough lessons, and now knows exactly where he wants to channel his passion. He's trying to change the more-is-more, bigger-is-better, Instagram #Foodporn attitude towards confectionary. Jared’s ethos is that a small amount of quality is enough and the proof really is in his puddings. His tartlettes are simply gorgeous, a fine film of pâte sucrée pastry that’s intricately layered with velvety whipped vanilla ganache, delicate sponges, fruit confit and fresh fruits. Every bite to be savoured.
Jared was kind enough to present us with six pâtisseries, all superb, but the standouts were the tartelette noisette, a sexy little number of rich hazelnut praline enclosed with a Belgian chocolate filling, the tartelette aux fraises which is a wonderfully feminine strawberry shortbread of sorts, and his flan pâtissier with Tahitian vanilla, that’s rich and comforting without being too sweet.
So where can you buy these marvellous morsels? Mostly online, directly through his Instagram Page or on Uber eats, as well as at Morningside Market and Victoria Yard’s First Sunday Market. Jared now also stocks Prison Break Market (in the suburb of Glenferness, between Lonehill and Kyalami), and he has a dark kitchen in Sandton that he and his team work from, but he’s waiting to find the right space for a flagship shop, so #WatchThisSpace
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