APRIL 1, 2022
Food is love and perhaps you would agree that no foods say love better than pay-str-ee. At Castle Hill, we strive to seamlessly curate a home away from home where guests and employee owners are all family. And nobody is doing more to keep the family happy like our Pastry team! From the cookies on your pillow at arrival, to the nourishing bread that accompanies your breakfast, the fresh madeleines at afternoon tea, onto the last bite of decadent dessert at dinner in our Dining Room — they are delighting your senses from sunup to sun down!
Castle Hill Pastry Chef Charlotte heads the team. She has been with Castle Hill for several years now and was recently promoted to the top position due to her creativity, finesse, and perseverance, especially throughout the pandemic. Two years ago, as I am sure you can relate, we all had to take things one day at a time. Now, with business operations back on secure footing, she is running a world-class pastry program, including the phenomenal evening bread service in the Dining Room.
Celebrating a special occasion? Chef Charlotte and her team will whip up a specialty cake for your birthday lunch or dinner. With a few days’ notice, you can order a Triple Chocolate Torte, Red Velvet Cake, Lemon Merengue Cake, Vanilla Berry Cake, or Carrot Cake — personalized with a special message for the occasion.
The marriage of sweet and savory is perfectly complete with our houseguests only afternoon tea.
Hold on, wait a minute! We haven’t even mentioned Sunday Brunch. Eggs are one thing, but nothing puts the punch in Sunday Brunch like a tasty treat from the Castle Hill Pastry department.
Chef Charlotte earned her B.A. in Baking and Pastry Arts from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. “I have been baking in the kitchen since I was 5 years old,” she reminisces. “My grandma was the one who ignited my passion. I would help her in the kitchen every time I was at her house. I come from an Italian family where food is such a big part of showing how much you care about your loved ones.” By the same philosophy and dedication, she conveys her appreciation to our family of guests.
Having Italian roots is something she shares with our own Executive Chef, Louis Rossi. Charlotte says of Chef Lou that “he always wants the best out of all his employees, and he helps us to work towards that. He has helped me in particular to trust myself and my instincts more and has encouraged me to never stop learning and pushing myself and my staff for only the best.”
It is testimonies like these that make us realize the value of being a 100% employee-owned company. We sum it up in Chef Charlotte’s own words again:
My favorite thing about Castle Hill is the supportive team that surrounds me. Not only in my direct Pastry team but also in the rest of the kitchen staff, the front of house staff and everyone else in between. I would not be able to do the things that I do every day without the support and encouragement and helping hands that I have around me.
Spoken like a true employee-owner.
–Shea C Nelson