Yelp Review: Forest G. (2.11.10)

By Justin Greis | Published: February 11, 2010

Delicious. That is all I will say. I try a lot of sweets, but this is by far my favorite. The brownies are not your typical brownies, rather they are chewy and rich. Well worth the price.

Click here to read on Yelp.com

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Panna Dolce Macarons, In Stores Now!

By Justin Greis | Published: February 10, 2010

Today we are proud to announce that you can now find Panna Dolce French Macarons in stores at The Goddess and Grocer. We have received countless calls from local Chicagoans asking where you can find our delicious goodies; we are now happy to report you can find them at the three convenient downtown Chicago locations. For those unfamiliar with The Goddess and Grocer, you have to check it out…it is a foodies’ dream come true!

Here’s what they have to say…

At The Goddess and Grocer you will find deli sandwiches made to order, ready made salads, a fresh salad bar, sliced deli meats and cheeses, artisanal cheeses, rotisserie chicken and a selection of groceries including handmade chocolates, cookies and desserts, pastas and sauces, mustards, dressings and condiments, crackers, snack items, wine and beer.

Check out their Panna Dolce announcement on their Goddess Gossip blog.

You can find them at their three Chicago locations below:

Bucktown
1646 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60647
Phone: 773.342.3200
Map it!

Gold Coast
25 East Delaware Place
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Phone: 312.896.2600
Map it!

Elston
2222 North Elston Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Phone: 773.292.7100
Map it!

But don’t worry… For those not in Chicago – or simply prefer the convenience of shopping in your undies – you can still find us at www.pannadolce.com for fast, easy and secure online ordering.

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Panna Dolce and IU MSIS Support Haiti

By Justin Greis | Published: February 8, 2010

This Friday we will be providing cookie and brownie bites to help an Indiana University Student (Forest Good) raise money for Haiti relief. The proceeds of the brownie and cookie sales will go to the Red Cross to benefit Haiti. I thought I would share a note Forest sent to us explaining what he had in mind…

After the tragic earthquake in Haiti struck, I wanted to contribute to the relief fund. I thought the viral Twitter and txt message efforts were really impressive, but I wanted to donate more than $10. Instead of using my student loans to participate, I was able to come up with a “sweet” fund raising initiative. While I was working on a case competition, I ran across Panna Dolce. The more I learned about this French inspired bakery, the more my team and I craved macarons. If only I had heard about this bakery sooner; it was already too late to participate in the MSISA (Master of Science in Information Systems Association) bake sale.

Determined to create my own bake sale, I decided to collaborate with Panna Dolce and my team to sell individual packs of cookie and brownie bites to my class on the Friday before Valentine’s Day. I’m planning to sell 60 treats for Haiti at $5 a pack to classmates and fellow students at the Kelley School of Business. This should yield between $150-200 for the Haiti relief fund. After it’s all said and done, my reward will be contributing a small donation to a large Haitian relief effort. However, it will be nice to try some delicious Panna Dolce treats in the meantime. Thank you, Panna Dolce!

Forest Good
Indiana University, Bloomington
MSIS 2010

Way to go, Forest! We support you 100%.

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Ritz Carlton Palm Beach Adventure, Part II

By Justin Greis | Published: February 7, 2010

Just when Kat thought her weekend get-away couldn’t get any better, Chef Frederic Barasse put her to work! After a wonderful dinner at the Omphoy Hotel at Michelle Bernstein’s (check out the fried chicken) we returned home and went to help Chef Barasse with a gorgeous event.

In short…we came, we blow torched, we made dessert! It was amazing. Check out our photos and videos of Kat’s idea of the perfect evening.

Check Out Our Flickr Gallery

Check Out Our YouTube Videos

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In the Kitchen with Chef Frederic Barasse

By Katharine Greis | Published: February 6, 2010

Ahhh, le macaron. Une pâtisserie subtile et sensible qui fond dans votre bouche à chaque morsure, celle….oh, je suis désolé…achem, oh…I mean I’m sorry…I just finished a rendezvous with French Pastry Chef Frederic Barasse here at the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach. I couldn’t help but speak from the heart (BTW my heart speaks French) after this culinary immersion into la vie en macaron!

I was lucky enough to be granted the opportunity to meet with Pastry Chef Barasse thanks to the lovely and most gracious staff here at the hotel. Shout out to Guest Services (Ari) and the Club level team (Joe, Phillip and Diana)! What an amazing surprise for this Chicago girl! Chef Barasse was kind enough to break from his pastry duties to chat with me about his techniques in making French Macarons and other delights of his skilled hands.

Chef Barasse and I both had some similar qualms with the fragile little pastry…the humidity, the oven temperature, the colors, all can be problematic – it was as if we were sharing war stories. We looked through his trays of freshly made macarons; they were stunning. From the beautiful hazelnut passion fruit to the Valentine’s Day heart shaped masterpiece, it was clear that Chef Barasse has mastered the most finicky of classic french pastries. I take my toque off to Monsieur Barasse.

We concluded the macaron jam session with the customary photo shoot, that I’m sure all French Pastry Chefs adore…especially when they have huge events that evening! Macarons wait for no one, but Chef Barasse was kind enough to wait on me!

Merci Chef Barasse!

PS – Click the photo above to check out my visit with Chef Barasse.

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