Nik Pugmire

Nik Pugmire is a food writer and professional pastry chef with over 15 years of baking and pastry experience. His specialties and expertise include recipe and menu development, wedding cake design, specialty cake decorating, and creating unique and seasonal desserts for restaurant and catering events.

Experience: Nik Pugmire is the executive pastry chef of the Port of Des Moines Event Group and Doré Bakery in Des Moines, Iowa. His expertise includes a wide range of styles, from casual grab-and-go treats to elaborate plated desserts, as well as wedding and celebration cakes, for an extensive retail operation in the Des Moines metro area. He is constantly creating and customizing new recipes based on seasonality, culinary trends, and special diets.

Nik has also worked in pastry kitchens for major hotels, including The Four Seasons Chicago. He curated dessert items and menus for the on-site restaurant, room service, weddings, and special events hosted by the hotel. He also designed banquet and wedding desserts, including custom wedding cakes, and designed and created personalized amenities for celebrity and VIP guests.

Education:
-Le Cordon Bleu Diplome, Le Cordon Bleu (Las Vegas, Nevada)
-Associates of Occupational Science, Le Cordon Bleu (Las Vegas, Nevada)
-Associates in Applied Sciences, City Colleges of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
-ServSafe Manager Certification, Iowa Restaurant Association (Des Moines, Iowa)

Local/Demographic Expertise: LGBTQ community, Religion (LDS/Mormon)

Fun Allrecipes Question: The kitchen tool I can't live without? It's a toss-up between three items: a mini offset spatula, a sharp paring knife, and a bench scraper. Having all three handy makes me feel unstoppable!