BEING a pastry chef requires patience, precision and creativity, and Keenan Lezama has got it all.
The 28-year-old creates and experiments with a range of pastries, – cookies,truffles, framboisier cakes and even replicas of fruit – and enjoys it thoroughly.
Lezama was raised in Santa Cruz and went to the San Juan North Secondary School. He told Sunday Newsday that growing up, he had a keen interest in cooking.
"My aunts and my grandmother used to cook a lot, and I used to be in the kitchen every Sunday just observing them and it stemmed from here."
Noticing his interest, his father suggested he "check out" the now-defunct Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute (TTHTI) in Chaguaramas. So he did, in 2016.
"I think I was going through Instagram some time before an interview and I saw a red croissant, and I told myself, 'I want to learn how to make that.'"
Admittedly, he was never really interested in pastry-making before then.
[caption id="attachment_1056710" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Keenan Lezama adds some heat to his gourmet pastries. - Photo by Angelo Marcelle[/caption]
"But the (TTHTI official) was like, 'You can't do pastry and culinary at the same time, because they're different courses,' and I thought, 'Wey, boy.'
"Then I said, 'You know what? I'll take a try at the pastry (course) and see how it goes.'"
He recalled investing several hours into his craft, even outside school hours.
Learning the art of pastry-making, he said, "can be a headache. It's high science, real technical, everything has to be precise...It's not like if you cooking something and you could just fix it with salt, or how you can fix certain things when you're actively cooking.
"Pastries have to be precise, step-by-step and with exact measurements."
But, he said, this does not stifle creativity, as pastry chefs are still able to express themselves through their dishes.
He said over time, though, he has learnt how to "tweak things" in his dishes and "find ways to get over certain obstacles."
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="660"] Keenan Lezama says pastry chefs are able to express themselves through their dishes. -[/caption]
While at TTHTI he was also part of the school's team in a culinary competition called A Taste of the Caribbean in Miami, Florida. Individually, he copped bronze in the category of pastries.
He did his internship at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, and was hired there afterwards. He stayed there for five years and described it as a great learning experience.
"Working in the hospitality industry (requires you to work) some crazy hours, but I always saw it as a way for me to be better.
[caption id="attachment_1056712" align="alignnone" width="857"] Keenan Lezama dips his unfinished gourmet pastry in liquid chocolate. - Photo by Angelo Marcelle[/caption]
"Sometimes, I used to stay back on work and just try to make certain things in the kitchen."
But in 2023 he decided he wanted a change – to venture into self-employment. The opportunity came dur
