Eloquent Personal Chef with a Style for Pastry

When you meet Blake Ellis you know this is one fine young man with a charm and soft smile that fills a pastry case, which reflects his own baking and cooking style. This can be called "great kitchen karma".

Actually Ellis has been in the kitchen since he was able to stand. His love for cooking and baking led him to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York where he graduated with Honors. Ellis has first class experience with the and Bern's Steak House.

Ellis started Eloquent Entrees, a Personal Chef Service in 2007. He  says that he truly enjoys working closely with his clients and creating culinary masterpieces in their homes. He is certified at the Manager's level for Food Safety and is one of only a handful of chefs that is individually certified as a Personal Certified Chef by the American Culinary Federation.

Born in Washington, D.C., Ellis moved to Sarasota with his family during middle school. He graduated from and Sarasota County Technical Institute, where he studied culinary arts. 

Patch sat down with Blake over an espresso and one of his famed onion tarts to find out what makes this talented Pastry Chef keep motivated and skilled.

Patch: What age were you when you first took the spatula to the pan?

Chef Blake Ellis: Between three - five. This is what my parents tell me. My first memories start around age six.

Patch: Who are your favorite pastry chefs?

Ellis: Norman Love (For Chocolates) and Bo Friberg (For all-Around Pastry)

Patch: What is your favorite meal of the day and describe what that meal would be. 

Ellis: This one is tough. I enjoy breakfast because it is what gets you going for the day. I usually do scrambled eggs (mostly whites) and toast with almond butter and raspberry preserves. Can you tell I’m on a health kick?

I also really enjoy dinner. I like to finish the day with pan-seared chicken or fish with wild rice or roasted potatoes and asparagus. Relatively simple, but done right.

Patch: What is the most difficult cake you have ever made?

Ellis: The most difficult cake I have ever made wasn’t even my cake! I was working a dessert station and a couple came into the restaurant to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Following tradition, they brought the top tier of their cake in with a picture of how it originally looked. 

The problem? It was, shall we say, unrecognizable at best. I had 30 minutes to rebuild this cake, while still plating other desserts. To this day, I still don’t know how I pulled it off.

Patch: What is the number one baking rule you want people to know?

Ellis: Measure twice, stir and bake once.

Patch: Do you have a hobby outside of food and cooking/baking?

Ellis: I enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling and riding motorcycles.