Working her way up from “the frosting person” at Pure Delite Bakery to head baker at Great Scott Tavern in just five short years, Lupica blurs the lines between sweet and savory. As the owner of Sweet Teeth Confections, it’s not uncommon to find crumbles of chorizo in her hand pies, a splash of whiskey in her frosting or her chocolate cakes proudly proclaiming pork belly with a stick on top.
Family Affair: Her Hungarian grandmother, Elvera, worked in a bakery when Lupica was growing up and pushed her toward baking. Together, they’d whip up banana bread in coffee cans when a cousin headed off to college. “She was a badass,” Lupica says. “Hungarian and strong and silent.”
Bakery Case: Drawn to the grandiose presentation of bakery displays, Lupica loves the process of arranging pastries like her fudgy espresso brownies and crunchy peanut butter pretzel French macarons as if they are part of a dramatic play. “Like you’re a kid pressing your face against the glass,” she says, “it just draws you in.”
Meat Up: Lupica was the only pastry chef to participate in Wholey Cow, an event where each chef was given a piece of meat to incorporate in their dishes. She rendered a smoked beef fatback into butter, then made it into a tart with fig compote, apple and goat cheese whipped cream. “It scared people at the event,” she says. “But they ended up really loving it.”
