Southern Spotlight

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219 South Cedar Street, Summerville, SC

Great Taste Pastry chef Claire Chapman, a savory hand pie

Patron Saint of Pastry

Pastry chef, Claire Chapman is on a mission to make the community that she loves a little sweeter, one dish at a time

by Eliza Bailey Chapman

Summerville’s charm and small-town atmosphere have captured the attention of restaurateurs, igniting a spark that can be seen on Main Street, Central and Richardson Avenues. This interest is not a surprise to Summerville resident, pastry chef and part-owner of St. Honoré Pastry, Claire Chapman. While making a name for herself in the Lowcountry’s tightly interwoven culinary community, Claire has resided in Summerville with her husband, Christian, (who has deep roots in the Town) and their daughter, Chloe. Her ability to create impeccably executed pastries, bread and desserts, command of the kitchen and disciplined work ethic landed her the executive pastry chef positions in several of the tri-county areas award winning fine dining establishments: The Woodlands Resort and Inn in Summerville; the Sanctuary at Kiawah and Peninsula Grill in Charleston. Claire had the distinguished honor to be part of a culinary team invited to cook at the James Beard House, not once but twice. Representing the Sanctuary on one occasion and Peninsula Grill on the other. She also taught pastry classes at Trident Technical College and the Art Institute of Charleston. Of all these accomplishments, she credits the support of the Summerville community, culinary collective and restaurants for her success as a small business owner. flower decorations from her grandmother, a wedding cake maker. At the age of nineteen, she and her parents immigrated to the United States. They settled in Charlotte, North Carolina. Determined to enter the culinary field, but not ready to commit to a culinary program, Claire began working as a pastry cook at Myers Park Country Club apprenticing with classical French pastry chef Jean Luc Barrucand. Recognizing her potential, Myers Park Country Club sent Claire to Chicago and New York for continuing education classes. Barrucand also helped Claire secure a three-month internship at a patisserie in Lyon, France.

After four years of work experience, coursework and an internship in her pocket, Claire accepted a position as the executive pastry chef at the Woodlands Resort and Inn in 2001. The decision to relocate to South Carolina launched a 20-year career in the Lowcountry. Along the way, Claire made contacts that would prove to be instrumental in her segue from executive chef to an adjunct pastry instructor and eventually partowner of St. Honoré Pastry. “Charleston is such a small community, it’s all about the relationships we’ve built over the years, looking for one another, supporting each other’s successes and not burning bridges because inevitably, your paths will cross again”.

Patron Saint of Pastry Continued

EAST WINDS

134 S Main St, Summerville, SC Phone: (843) 875-8985 eastwindsonline.com

for special events. On her days off, she would fill orders. Embraced by the residents of Summerville, her side business started to grow at a slow and steady pace. The trajectory of her small enterprise shifted when former co-worker and Sommelier at the Woodlands, Stephane Pietier opened Accent on Wine. Wanting to support the local Summerville culinary community and familiar with her work, he contracted Claire to make a goat cheesecake topped with fresh fruit, salted caramel chocolate and baklava. Stephane recounts several factors contributed to his decision to hire Claire. “She lived in Summerville, had an excellent command of the fine dining industry understood the sacrifices it takes to run your own business and absolutely poured her heart into her work. I wanted a dessert that complemented our wines, Not too sweet and heavy. Growing up in South Africa and interning in France, she knew the subtle balance needed to create great quality deserts without being overbearing and the strict principles that govern baking. She also had the ability to listen to what I wanted to offer my customers”.

Needing help to handle the volume, in 2017, Claire partnered with Kelly Wilson, an instructor in the Trident Technical Culinary program and former executive pastry chef at Cypress restaurant. Together they rented a kitchen. Giving a nod to the patron saint of bakers, they christened their business St. Honoré Pastry. No longer able to meet the demands of their retail customers and use to working with chef’s, St. Honoré Pastry in its infancy, became strictly a wholesale distributor, supplying discerning goods for high end