Carlos David Monahan is hosting a pop-up pastry shop April 16-18 and April 23-25, 2026, at Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Jason Mack/Laredo Morning Times
Carlos David Monahan is hosting a pop-up pastry shop April 16-18 and April 23-25, 2026, at Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Jason Mack/Laredo Morning Times
Carlos David Monahan is hosting a pop-up pastry shop April 16-18 and April 23-25, 2026, at Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Jason Mack/Laredo Morning Times
The pistachio entremet is one of six items on the menu as Carlos David Monahan hosts a pop-up pastry shop April 16-18 and April 23-25, 2026, at Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Jason Mack/Laredo Morning Times
The midnight espresso entremet is one of six items on the menu as Carlos David Monahan hosts a pop-up pastry shop April 16-18 and April 23-25, 2026, at Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Jason Mack/Laredo Morning Times
Carlos David Monahan is hosting a pop-up pastry shop April 16-18 and April 23-25, 2026, at Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Jason Mack/Laredo Morning Times
The midnight espresso entremet and pistachio entremet are two of six items on the menu as Carlos David Monahan hosts a pop-up pastry shop April 16-18 and April 23-25, 2026, at Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Jason Mack/Laredo Morning Times
After years of training at a culinary institute in Switzerland and working at Michelin-star restaurants in Spain, Hong Kong and San Francisco, Carlos David Monahan has returned to Laredo to showcase his pastry skills and explore his next steps.
Monahan, 24, is hosting a pop-up shop for the next two weeks at Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee, bringing a menu of signature tarts, eclairs and entremets to his hometown.
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“This is to see how people in Laredo will respond to something that is not typically from here,” Monahan said. “The palates are different, but I’ve adapted it in a way I think people will like it. I want to get some Laredoan feedback.”
Born and raised in Laredo, the Alexander High School graduate knows the local palate well. However, with a mother from central Mexico and a father from Boston, he was also exposed to a variety of other cuisines.
“My culinary experience was very much like everyone else’s in Laredo, but when we would travel, that was when I got to taste different things outside of the classic norteño food,” Monahan said. “My mom would cook a lot of Central Mexican dishes, but it wasn’t until I started traveling more that I started seeing a lot of different varieties of food.”
Like most chefs, Monahan got his start in his home kitchen. He said his mother and grandmother were always in the kitchen, so he started getting involved. He said he also picked up tips along the way watching Gordon Ramsay and other chefs on TV.
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Monahan initially pursued his passion for art and studied design at the University of Southern California. As he considered combining his artistic flair with food, his father suggested trying it out before committing to culinary school.
That winter break, Monahan interned as a cook at Laredo Country Club. He got hands-on experience with every role, from dishwasher to chef, and it affirmed it was a passion he was ready to pursue.
After considering the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Monahan decided to broaden his horizons further and head to the small town of Le Bouveret, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva to attend the Cesar Ritz Culinary Arts Academy. He chose it both for the option of a bachelor’s degree and for the authenticity of learning European cuisine in Europe.
Thanks to connections formed at the academy, Monahan quickly found work at a two-Michelin-star restaurant called Cinc Sentits in Barcelona, Spain. The annual Michelin Guide has a restaurant rating system with strict standards for earning and maintaining between one and three stars. In the United States, there are fewer than 300 restaurants earning stars, including just 14 three-star locations.
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While he went on to work at multiple restaurants in Hong Kong, it was Spain that ironically presented the most significant language barrier.
“Sometimes people would get frustrated, especially in Spain. In Barcelona they speak Catalan too. They’d get frustrated (and) proceed to yell at me and tell me that I don’t know Spanish,” Monahan said. “But little by little, you pay your dues, and once they saw I worked hard, they accepted me as one of them. Then they’d help me and explain things.”
Monahan also worked at a Michelin-star restaurant called Belon in Hong Kong, but he said he learned the most from first working at a small Vietnamese restaurant called Chôm Chôm. It shifted his goal from earning a Michelin rating to delivering a memorable experience.
“The chef had previously had a Michelin restaurant, but his whole thing was about making people happy,” Monahan said. “It was a bar that served really good food. People were super happy. The food was amazing, but it wasn’t too pretentious to where you can’t enjoy it. That changed my viewpoint that it isn’t just about making beautiful food and adapting it to my own taste. It’s also about who you are serving and having them enjoy it.”
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Returning to the United States, Monahan experienced both sides of the coin at a three-Michelin-star restaurant in San Francisco called Quince.
“The focus was both food and environment,” he said. “The reason they have three stars is (that) they are so focused on the environment, and they are known for their service being amazing. They make you feel special.”
The quality of the food and the atmosphere attracted a variety of noteworthy guests to the restaurant. Monahan experienced the nerves of cooking for both Michelin inspectors and a former president.
“Sometimes we’d have to sign NDAs,” he said. “One time I walked in and saw Secret Service all over the place. It was President Barack Obama.”
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No matter the guest, there was unique pressure at every level of the job at Quince. Monahan said the canapé station was intense, with every guest starting their meal with five small bites featuring intricate details. He moved from there to pastries and developed a love for it because you could take your time being artistic.
“Quince was amazing, but the pressure was intense. You’re always maintaining the standard of the three stars,” he said. “Even small things matter. If a guest steps away at the wrong time, dishes have to be remade so everything is perfect.”
After Quince, Monahan stayed in San Francisco to continue honing his pastry skills at O’ by Claude Le Tohic, a one-Michelin-star French restaurant. He said he was the only American chef, with everyone else coming from France on a visa.
Now Monahan is putting those pastry skills to the test in Laredo. From Thursday through Saturday this week and next week, he will have a select menu for sale from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee in the French Quarter Plaza at 1605 E. Del Mar Blvd., Ste. 119.
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The menu includes vanilla and chocolate eclairs, pistachio and midnight espresso entremets and strawberry matcha and blood orange tarts. The costs are $7 for eclairs, $8 for entremets and $10 for tarts.
“You don’t need expensive ingredients to make something good. You can make something nice with affordable ingredients,” Monahan said. “With the pastries, I am trying to do seasonal ones. It is Texas strawberry season, so I am doing the strawberry matcha tart. It’s also the end of citrus season, so I did a blood orange tart also.”
Monahan is using the pop-up shop as a test run while he considers his next step. He has considered opening a café with pastries and meals or a restaurant with affordable tasting menus.
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Dining and Cooking