Trump Chicago Appoints Aya Fukai as Executive Pastry Chef

I have a sweet tooth that is usually reserved for a thirteen-year-old kid, so much so that my favorite part of any great meal is dessert. So it should come as no surprise that any announcements regarding pastry chefs in great restaurants is like Christmas morning to me, it’s just exciting. Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago (401 North Wabash) is pleased to announce the appointment of Aya Fukai as executive pastry chef. Chef Fukai joins Executive Chef Thomas Lents and the acclaimed culinary team at Sixteen, which recently received an upgraded, two-star designation from the 2014 Michelin Guide. As executive pastry chef, Chef Fukai oversees the dessert program at the property’s modern American restaurant, Sixteen, as well as those for banquets and in-room dining.

Chef Fukai brings nearly a decade of experience to her position at Trump Chicago, having worked at prestigious hotels and restaurants in Cambridge, Boston and Chicago. A native of Chiba, Japan, Chef Fukai moved to Boston with her family when she was 9 years old. She attended Boston University where she received her bachelors of science in hospitality administration. After graduating, Chef Fukai worked in various assistant pastry positions at a number of distinguished restaurants in Boston, including L’Espalier and Radius. She then took her first executive pastry chef position at Menton under acclaimed chef Barbara Lynch. In 2011, Aya moved to the Midwest where she was in charge of the pastry and bread program for two-Michelin starred Ria and the modern bistro Balsan at the Waldorf Astoria Chicago.

Chef Fukai joins Sixteen in the weeks following the Chef Lents’ debut of his winter menu, The Story of Chicago, which runs until late-March. Sixteen’s spring menu will serve to officially introduce Chef Fukai’s innovative dessert creations.

Via Trump Chicago