In 2015 Saree was hired as Sous Pastry Chef at Balboa Beach Resort in Newport Beach and was promoted to Pastry Chef in 2018. Chef Rachel Haggstrom, who grew up on a sprawling citrus orchard in Temecula, CA, received a Bachelors degree from UCSanta Barbara, and a Masters Degree in Hospitality and Tourism from the University of Gothenberg in Sweden, prior to attending culinary school, also at C.C.A. After climbing the culinary ladder at several prestigious venues (St. Regis, The Ritz, and French Laundry), Rachel was
hired as Executive Chef at Balboa Bay Resort in 2015.
From the beginning of their work together at Balboa Bay Resort it was clear that Rachel and Saree possessed a unique brand of chef-pastry chef synergy. Fortunately, when Rachel was offered the Executive Chef position at The Restaurant at Justin, Justin Winery, in Paso Robles, CA, she was eventually able to bring Saree aboard as Pastry Chef.
Three years on, the dynamic duo is creating the kind of culinary buzz that makes a venue a food destination. The Restaurant at Justin is topping lists as one of the ‘must experience’ stops in the rolling hills and vineyards of Paso Robles with Haggstrom’s exquisite menu keenly created to pair with Justin wines, and Musick’s ingenious chocolate program (Justin Chocolate Truffles) also inspired to pair with what’s on offer from the vineyards.
There’s a lot of tough love because that’s how I am but that’s also how I was raised in the kitchen.
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at Justin Winery
In Saree’s junior year in high school, when local colleges started to recruit, she realized the traditional trajectory of attending a college close by and eventually settling down in your hometown, was uninspiring. Saree decided to follow her cooking and baking bliss and hopped a plane for the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.
The Art of Pairing
ASTRY CHEF SAREE MUSICK, a self-described Midwest transplant from Kansas, started baking as a kid. Instead of playing pretend with an Easy-Bake Oven, she started making delicious specialty cakes at age 10. As a teen, Saree’s friends would look forward to her famous cheesecakes, assorted cakes, and even Teddy Graham cakes (with a poolside or beach theme,) the recipe for which, she discovered in Home and Garden Magazine. By high school, her one-of-a-kind cakes became ‘kind of a happening.’ “What will Saree create this time?”
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by Kelli Colaco
