Anna Brown, Blue Willow’s head baker, grew up with the scintillating smells of baking in her home. Her mother, Angela, and her grandmother, Nancy Marchetti, would make wedding cakes for family and friends. Often, they would include Anna and her two sisters.
“I have fond family memories of being in the kitchen with my grandmother and mom. I remember sitting on the counter helping pour ingredients into the mixer. I was in awe when they’d decorate the cakes. I knew one day I, too, would be a baker and cake decorator.”
Brown didn’t fulfill her passion right away. It took some time working in a business environment before she realized that the corporate world wasn’t for her. In 2012, she left her job as a customer advocate for OptumRx and went to work at Le Buzz Café, working under Denis Johnston, the pastry chef at the time.
“I have no training or formal education in the field, but I was given an opportunity where I learned a lot under (Denis),” she says.
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She joined Blue Willow in August, where she enjoys preparing the standard dessert menu, but also creating the “DuJour” dessert special. She also likes to experiment with different pastries, and “plays around with recipes” to accommodate ever-changing dietary trends. “Many people are conscious of calories, sugar, refined sugar, animal products, gluten, etc. We do offer gluten-free and vegan desserts at Blue Willow, and I’m excited to team up with (the restaurant) to make custom cakes and desserts to meet customer requests, if they’re not currently on the menu.”
With National Cheesecake Day coming up on Thursday, we had a few other questions for Brown.
So let’s talk about cheesecake. What is it about cheesecake that deserves celebrating?
“Cheesecake is a wonderful dessert. I find the texture and refreshment of it to be delectable.”
Will you offer something special in recognition of cheesecake’s special day?
“We offer numerous cheesecakes on our rotating “DuJour” of the day throughout the year. We will definitely be celebrating National Cheesecake Day, offering prickly pear cheesecake & cheesecake brownies.”
Do you have a favorite cheesecake?
“My absolute favorite is the prickly pear cheesecake we make at Blue Willow. We use locally made prickly pear jelly — it’s to die for.”
Mary Minor Davis is a Tucson-based freelance writer.
