Christopher Thé – Master Pastry Chef & Business Developer

Master Pastry Chef & BUSINESS DEVELOPER

Christopher Thé is the founder of Black Star Pastry and creator of the Strawberry Watermelon Cake, both of which have achieved worldwide fame. He has dedicated his life to bringing others that same joy he feels through food. But he’s not just a chef; Chris is a builder of businesses and communities, with a passion for the future of food.

About

Born in 1974 in Haberfield, Christopher Thé has lived in Sydney all his life. While working in commercial kitchens while studying Psychology, Chris discovered a passion for cooking. The day he finished his degree he went into cooking full time.

After training in fine dining restaurants including Bel Mondo, Claude’s and Quay, in 2008 Christopher opened his own boutique patisserie, Black Star Pastry, in Newtown. Black Star quickly became a Sydney cult hit, with its signature Strawberry Watermelon Cake becoming known as “the most Instagrammed Cake in the World”. The tiny Newtown shop features on the itinerary of many an international traveller and often has queues around the block. Chris would eventually open another three shops, as well as pop-ups in Melbourne and Singapore.

Chris’ cooking focuses heavily on flavour and artisan technique whilst also being creatively out of the box. His food has an easygoing, rustic but elegant style, influenced by the beauty of nature.

THE PERFECT MOMENT

Where Black Star Pastry began – out of the love of the perfect moment.

There is a magical moment in pastry. It’s sometime after it comes out of the oven. It’s too hot right then, bite now you’ll burn your tongue. The butter is still liquid so it tastes like grease. And everything is still too sweet. Fruit tastes like undercooked jam, a mouth full of melted sugar. But as it cools, you find the colour of the crust darkens slightly. The sugars harden, ready to give a crackling texture, a snap. The butter begins to solidify, you taste the nuttiness, no longer oily. You feel the weight of the butter on your tongue, now suspended in a network of flour. Puffiness subsides, the hot air escapes and becomes aroma. Fruit fillings are more like jelly now, its sweetness less pronounced hinting of that deep, long mouthfeel you’re craving.

The future

In 2018 Chris sold part of Black Star Pastry to the Jackalope Group and in 2019 sold the rest of his share in order to work on other projects. He is interested in the future of food, not only in regards to food style and culture, but also sustainability and food waste, and the role of food tech in decreasing waste.

Business Development

Christopher’s reputation as a hospitality brand builder is grounded in years of hands on experience. From his early days as an apprentice chef in the 1990s, right through to building the globally renowned Black Star Pastry, Christopher’s focus has alway been on quality. Not only quality food but also the creation of world class customer experiences.

With a track record of successful openings, Chris has proven his hospitality instincts are on point.

Currently working on “what food will look like in the future”, Chris is using his skills to build and grow other brands in all areas of hospitality.