That’s when Pamela Graham starts her day preparing fresh sourdough bread, muffins, cookies, and croissants. By the time the doors open at 7:30 a.m. at The Pastry Hideaway, brewing coffee and the buttery smell of freshly-baked bread permeate the air.
Graham launched her shop on May 2 after she moved to Wilton less than a year before. Trained at the Chicago French Pastry School and having been a baker at Bouchon Bakery’s Rockefeller Center location (after years working in entertainment licensing among other business-related jobs), she relishes concocting pastries most of all.
“I like the art of pastries," she said. "I love bringing back the classics.”
She feels fortunate to have trained with some of the top pastry chefs in the country. “They really taught me how to extract the most flavor from everything I do and how to really care about the product,” said Graham.
"The goal is to always offer something extraordinary to customers.”
“Sometimes it’s a tough call to make,” she said. "If it doesn’t look right, even if I know it’s going to taste great, I don’t put it out.”
Her favorite pastry to prepare? A pie. “To me,” said Graham, “Pies often look amazing but the true flavor gets lost.”
As much as she loves preparing pies, it's cookies that are her favorite to eat.
Croissants, however, have proven to be the most popular item on the menu.
“I think I have a unique recipe and I follow traditional French technique for rolling them out,” said Graham. “And I make them fresh daily.”
The menu, which includes breakfast and lunch, also features many vegan and gluten-free offerings as well as custom-made breads and cupcakes.
The Pastry Hideaway is located at 126 Old Ridgewood Road and is open Tuesday through Sunday; 203-762-6600.
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