BY STEPHANIE LOUGH PHOTOS BY MARK MORGAN
FROM PIROUETTES TO PÂTISSIER Executive Pastry Chef Sarah Chisholm shares her journey from ballerina to Phoenix’s top baker
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hen Sarah Chisholm moved to Phoenix from Chicago in 2011, she never imagined that in just a few years she would be leading a team of pastry chefs at downtown Phoenix’s largest gourmet bakery. In fact, as a professional dancer, she never intended to work in the restaurant industry at all. Today, the 25-year-old Arcadia resident is the executive pastry chef at St. Francis and Phoenix Public Market Café, spearheading the restaurant’s new wholesale bakery division. But it was through a series of unpredictable – and at times, unnerving – events that changed her destiny from Ballet Arizona company member to successful pâtissier. From a very young age, Chisholm pursed her lifelong passion of becoming a dancer. “I was reprimanded in school for always needing to move and losing focus quickly, so my mom took me to an open (ballet) performance and asked me if I wanted to try,” says Chisholm. “I was
three and I never stopped.” As a teen, Chisholm attended the fine arts high school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under the direction of Ethan Stiefel, best known outside of the dance word for his performance in the 2000 hit movie Center Stage. “I was exposed to phenomenal teachers and professional companies actually came to scout us,” she says. At age 18, she started her first professional career with Miami City Ballet, a world-renowned company known for its Balanchine technique. The highly respected ballet method was developed by its namesake, George Balanchine, who was one of the 20th century’s most prominent choreographers and founder of the New York City Ballet Company. “For me, dancing Balanchine was the height of dancing ballet. He is known as the father of American ballet and without a doubt changed the world of dance,” she explains. UPTOWN |
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| AUGUST 2016