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Dufour <strong>Pastry</strong> Kitchens co-founders and co-owners, Judi Arnold and Carla Krasner, left Carnegie Hall and classical concert management, looking for a change from promoting the careers of others. Judi was a high energy salesperson who was also a great cook, and Carla had a flair for baking, furthered by the culinary classes she took during a college year in France. They decided to combine their talents and rented a table in a caterer’s kitchen where they set out to experiment with savory pastry recipes. When the caterer asked if they could make puff pastry hors d’oeuvres for her events, the revelation that the caterer did not make everything in house led them to discover their niche, and Dufour <strong>Pastry</strong> Kitchens was born. The name Dufour, a combination of the French words “du” and “four”- from the oven - was a nod to the appeal of French cuisine and to the French pastry they were perfecting. In 1983 prepared frozen hors d’oeuvres were a rarity. Encouraged by great reactions from the chefs who tasted their samples, Judi and Carla launched their line of creative, high quality, frozen savory pastries for the food service trade, starting from a 900 square foot storefront in the still gritty Gansevoort Meat Market. Judi began marketing and immediately sold the St. Regis Hotel. Other prestigious hotels soon came on board, grateful for help with their quality banquet menus. Numerous caterers including the original Balducci’s, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s all sold Dufour products under their own brand. Eventually chefs began to ask for the dough that Dufour made to encase their hors d’oeuvres. The resulting product lines, all-butter puff pastry and pie doughs as well as assorted raw, hand-crafted tart shells became the mainstays of the business. The complete range of Dufour products has been awarded 19 Sofi awards. The classic puff pastry has won in both the Best Baked Good/Baking Ingredient category and in the overall category of Best Classic. The recipe has not changed since the company’s founding: butter from an upstate New York dairy, flour, water, salt, and lemon juice with an over 50% butter to flour ratio. Four traditional book-fold turns produce the perfect flaky pastry. Dufour <strong>Pastry</strong> Kitchens now operates from a modern facility in the Bronx, not far from Chefs’ Warehouse. 100% women owned, the employees are over 2/3 women and 75% Bronx residents. They have been awarded the Certificate of Merit from the Bronx Borough President for their contribution to the economic development of the Bronx. True to their roots, the creative team at Dufour continues to develop savory and sweet pastries while producing the best available puff pastry, pie doughs and hand-crafted tart shells to encourage creativity and innovation in every kitchen. 26 Dufourpastrykitchens.com 251 Locust Ave. Bronx, NY 10454 Tel: 718-402-8800