By Jessica Yadegaran | Bay Area News Group
There are several paths to becoming a chef. The most common: Go to culinary school (and into debt), move up the ranks in kitchens, make scrap money for too much work and then burn out.
That wasn’t an option for Charles Farriér, the founder of Emeryville’s Crumble & Whisk Patisserie, which specializes in mini gourmet cheesecakes with buttery shortbread crusts and creamy fillings, such as Pineapple Sage, Beet & Berry and Triple Chocolate.
Farriér, a native of Oakland, grew up in foster care with parents who struggled to make ends meet for their five children. When he turned 18, he was expected to be on his own. Lead by example. Make a way.
A mentor suggested Job Corps, the government-run vocational school that provides education and housing on Treasure Island. Farriér chose culinary arts because he was curious about cooking, and had fond memories of watching his father in the kitchen “making something out of nothing.”
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Emeryville cheesecake maker dishes on creative flavors, carving his own path
