It's a Woman's World: Executive Pastry Chef Melissa Knauer of The Benjamin

Earlier this summer, I was in attendance for one of the friends & family previews of The Benjamin, a new French – American restaurant in Ridgefield that took over the historic property that was once home to Bernard’s and Sarah’s Wine Bar.

As I was set to order appetizers and dinner, one of The Benjamin’s owners, Dave Studwell, cruised by my table with a few suggestions.

“Don’t miss the bread course,” he says with a serious look on his face. “Our pastry chef is amazing. We got her from Arethusa.”

One of Knauer’s desserts early on at The Benjamin is a strawberry choux a la creme with strawberry mousse and shortbread crumble

Enough said. And Dave was right. That whole wheat sourdough and three different butters hit the spot. Quality bread and cultured butters is something I could eat all day.

The meal progressed, and after entrées, I kind of thought to myself, “Well, if the bread was good, dessert must be just as ridiculous.”

The Benjamin’s Signature Bread Service is whole wheat sourdough served alongside three spreads: French cultured butter + sea salt, smoked paprika + honey butter, boursin cheese + chive.

Long story short, it was. And everything wasn’t only well crafted, it looked beautiful and tasted amazing, too. I immediately asked to meet their executive pastry chef, Melissa Knauer, to give her her props and barely thought twice about having her featured in our ongoing “It’s a Woman’s World” column.

Here’s a little more about Melissa, including her journey into pastry, attending the Culinary Institute of America, some of her stops after graduating, and what she’s doing at The Benjamin.

Oh, and if you go, GET THE BREAD and DON’T SKIP DESSERT!

Let’s jump right in. I feel like pastry is something you might have grown up being interested in. What made you fall in love with pastry in the first place? Give us your baking origin story!

As a child I was always in the kitchen baking with my mom. We would make cookies brownies and cake. I loved spending the time with her. I was looking back at photos when I was younger and saw all these photos of myself in the kitchen making cakes and cookies and just having a good time. As I got older I would make holiday cakes andcookies by myself and my love for baking grew from there. I would be baking something new every week for my family to try. During the summer one year my sister Courtney and I decided to take the Wilton cake decorating classes that they offered at Michaels Craft Store at the time, and I fell more in love with the aspect. Those classes taught me a lot from decorating a cake to piping roses, lines, all of it, and hand making all types of flowers. So I knew from a young age that I wanted to do pastry and baking.

From there, what was your experience like at the CIA? What did you learn and who or what helped you hone your craft?

The CIA taught my everything I knew. Everything back down to the basics and more after that. The CIA was my first hands on experience in a kitchen and learning about my craft. I was very nervous to start my journey at the CIA because from my perspective I didn’t know as much as my other classmates had already known since most of them went to tech schools or had already hands on experience in the workforce and I was just beginning. As my old chef at one of my jobs said, I was the greenest person in a kitchen that she has ever met and that has stuck with me to want to show people that, yes, I was the greenest person in the kitchen I wanted to show them I could do it. That drive has been with me ever since.

All my chefs at school really helped me hone my craft while I was there. We took classes that I really didn’t like but taking those classes helped me realize that not everyone likes the same thing in the pastry world. There are people who like intricate sugar work where I can’t be bothered with intricate sugar work and that really helped me decide, like okay I don’t like that, but I should still learn a little about it, but I don’t want to go down that path. My favorite class was towards the end of my schooling was plated desserts and bread class and those plated desserts and bread class were where I really knew that’s what I wanted to do.

Some of Knauer’s cruffin creations while at Arethua a mano - caramel pumpkin streusel (left), brown sugar Swiss meringue with pineapple compote (top right), salted caramel and roasted apple with Swiss meringue (bottom right).

You worked at Arethusa a mano! It’s one of the best in Connecticut and I don’t think many would argue that point. How did you end up there? And tell us about your time there.

I was working in Pawling, NY when Covid hit. The bakery wasn’t doing well, and I wanted to look for new employment. I knew I didn’t want to work in a “factory” bakery once I left Pawling because that’s what is around where I live, grocery stores and I didn’t want that. I expanded my search beyond Fairfield County and after visiting Arethusa I applied to working there.

My time at Arethusa I was given the opportunity to be creative which was a great for a challenge for me. I learned a lot at Arethusa from learning about laminations and how everyone does laminated pastries a little differently. I was able to bring the “Cruffin” to Arethusa which all the customers loved. So changing those flavors every week or so was something I looked forward to doing and making all the customers happy. My favorite to make there was the tiramisu Cruffins and the cranberry almond one during the winter season.

I met you at The Benjamin. What attracted you to going from a pastry/coffee shop in Arethusa to working as that restaurant’s executive pastry chef?

After many years of working at Arethusa, I heard this great restaurant in Ridgefield was opening, and they were looking for a pastry chef. It was the next challenge in my career, and I was looking for that creative challenge. It was a lot of work to come up with American/French desserts that people would like while also not going too far that people are like, “what is that?”

Another sweet ending at The Benjamin is tarte au citron, lemon, toasted meringue

I remember being at a few of the opening nights and everyone spoke highly of the bread course…then the desserts came out and our minds were blown. What else are you working on at The Benjamin?

I’m currently working on idea for our brunch and specials to come out in a few weeks, on new house-made breads that can be found eventually be found on the menu, and on offerings like macarons and petit fours as other options on our dessert menu.

What are your favorite desserts (or types of bread) to make or bake and which are your favorites to eat?

My favorite bread to eat is my great grandmother’s recipe for Irish brown bread and fell in love with sourdough when I was working at Pawling Bread. I love all desserts, so I really don’t have a favorite, but if I would pick one it would be a cheesecake at the moment.

Follow Melissa on Instagram @melissaknauer

And visit The Benjamin in Ridgefield