The Sweet Life of Christy Stewart-Jenkins ’17

Even after graduating with a degree in earth science, Christy Stewart-Jenkins ’17 was daydreaming about being a chef.

Stewart-Jenkins had arrived at the College from rural Oklahoma with an interest in science and, after trying classes in astronomy and astrophysics, found a community in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. She considered a career in academia, but as she neared graduation, Stewart-Jenkins had doubts about continuing her studies. “The science was still interesting, but the actual processes were frustrating,” she says. “It can be a lot of work that doesn’t always lead to right answers.”

She’d grown up with grandmothers who knew their way around the kitchen (“one who only made savories and another who only did baking”), and had always enjoyed cooking and baking herself. The inspiration to change gears came from a Barnard friend who had majored in English but was interning at a restaurant. “I thought that was very cool, and then I started to think — ‘Maybe I could do that,’” she says.

Today, Stewart-Jenkins is the executive pastry chef for L’Artusi’s Epicurean Group (the flagship restaurant along with L’Artusi Supper Club, Via Porta, and b’artusi) and, with her husband, Evan, co-owns Bar Fiasco, a cozy craft beer and wine spot in Hamilton Heights.

Stewart-Jenkins earned a certificate in Baking & Pastry Arts from the August Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Austin in 2019. Unsurprisingly, she appreciates the science of baking: “I like the precision of pastry, and it’s also very creative,” she says.

She says that while she learned a lot in culinary school, she found out how much she didn’t know during a prestigious externship creating traditional French pastry at the Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris. “It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done,” Stewart-Jenkins says. “It was an incredible learning experience but it was really trial by fire.”

She returned to New York eager to reconnect with Columbia friends and break into the city’s fine dining scene. Stewart-Jenkins became a pastry cook at Épicerie Boulud, a more casual bakery in chef Daniel Boulud’s company; after being sidelined for several months during the pandemic, she joined the kitchen at Boulud’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Daniel.

After several years — and climbing the ranks to sous chef — Stewart-Jenkins was ready for an executive position. In April she made the move to L’Artusi; as head pastry chef, she leads a team of seven.

Stewart-Jenkins says the best part of her sweet career is the seasonality. “I love working with different fruits, and I change up the menus based on what’s in season,” she says. “Right now it’s grapes and figs, and I recently added quince. Plus I’m already thinking ahead to chestnuts and citrus, and different techniques of preserving fruit in winter.” (Amazingly, she’s not a chocolate fan, but her favorite dessert is tiramisu.)

Her top-level hospitality skills have come in handy uptown at Bar Fiasco, which reopened on Aug. 8 after a major renovation. Evan, who has been working in the beer industry for years, had worked at the space’s previous incarnation, Beer Run Harlem; when it went on the market and no one was buying, the couple decided they could make it happen themselves.

“We wanted to keep the community this place had, with the same great range of beer offered, while making it friendlier for wine drinkers,” Stewart-Jenkins says. “We want this to be the wine bar of the neighborhood.” The couple plans to bring in charcuterie plates and other snacks; Stewart-Jenkins develops the menus, which will soon include her freshly baked cookies.

She acknowledges that opening Bar Fiasco while also working as full-time chef was a lot. “When we first opened, it was pretty stressful to be handling both,” she says. “But now that we’re a little more settled and have a great team in place, I’ve been able to take step back.”

And Stewart-Jenkins says she truly loves both roles. “Evan and I have both seen many sides of this business,” she says. “Our different experiences really bring a lot to the table.”