Susan Bae is the only chef in the District to win the prestigious James Beard Award this year.
WASHINGTON — Chef Susan Bae has a simple vision for the ultimate dessert.
“Glitter everywhere,” the Moon Rabbit pastry chef said with a laugh. “I would put glitter on everything if I could.”
That sense of whimsy, along with a willingness to take risks and challenge diners’ expectations has helped make Bae one of Washington’s most celebrated chefs.
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This year, it also earned her one of the culinary world’s highest honors: a James Beard Award.
Bae, the pastry chef at Moon Rabbit, was the only chef from the Washington, D.C., region to take home a James Beard Award this year.
An Unorthodox Approach
Her desserts aren’t exactly conventional.
Think green curry sponge cake, avocado sorbet and fish sauce caramel, combinations designed to surprise diners and sometimes make them rethink what dessert can be.
“People become surprised initially,” Bae said. “The best way I can describe it is, there’s a bit of tension in all of the desserts.”
That tension is intentional.
For one creation, Bae said she started with something simple: the color green.
“I wanted to create this monochromatic dessert of sorts,” she said. “I was like, I love the color green. I love nature. Let’s start there.”
It’s that willingness to experiment that has become central to Bae’s approach in the kitchen.
“No risk, no reward,” she said.
An Unexpected Opportunity
Bae’s path to Washington was just as unexpected as some of her desserts.
She said her move to D.C. began with an Instagram message from Moon Rabbit’s head chef and co-owner Kevin Tien.
“We still joke about this because it’s just such a funny story,” Bae said. “He literally slid into my DMs and he said, ‘I’m looking for a pastry chef.’”
The two had followed each other on Instagram. Tien was in Washington and needed a pastry chef.
“He said, ‘I need a chef, a pastry chef. Can you come on board?’” Bae recalled.
She did, without hesitation.
Food Shaped By Loss
Bae came to Washington without family or friends, eventually building a community in the city that would become especially meaningful after experiencing devastating personal loss.
“I’ve suffered from grief,” she said. “I’ve lost my entire immediate family; my mom, my dad and my older sister.”
Bae said those experiences have shaped her, and ultimately, her food.
“We go through these experiences, and these experiences translate into the food that we make, unbeknownst to the guests, of course,” she said.
But as chefs gain larger platforms, Bae said they’re also gaining opportunities to share the stories behind their work.
“Now that we have these sorts of platforms, we are now able to maybe share our own stories, have an impact in that way,” she said.
A Win For Whimsy
For Bae, the recipe behind a James Beard Award may be difficult to measure.
A little blind faith, a willingness to take risks, and, of course, plenty of whimsy.
After three nominations, Bae’s hard work finally paid off with the James Beard win for Best Pastry Chef.
Dining and Cooking