WP24 Restaurant and The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles are pleased to announce the appointment of Megan Potthoff as executive pastry chef.
With a diverse portfolio of culinary leadership in high-profile restaurants including several iconic Wolfgang Puck eateries, a certificate in French pastry making, and an enthusiasm for employing the distinct flavors of the season’s harvest in culinary creations, Potthoff offers a fresh take on Asian-inspired desserts at Wolfgang Puck’s fine dining restaurant and its casual counterpart, Nest at WP24.
Potthoff’s sweet endings to the meal will incorporate fresh fruits from her favorite Californian purveyors that complement the distinct Far East flavors and ingredients in an effort to reinvent traditional desserts.
New additions to the menu will include Tamai Farms strawberries with white chocolate cream, lime sponge, a Thai basil strawberry sorbet, a mango cheesecake with coconut cream, crispy rice shortbread, and a passion fruit sorbet. A complete new dessert menu crafted by Potthoff and Chef de Cuisine, John Lechleidner, is set to debut in mid-May.
Potthoff draws her inspiration from frequent visits to her hometown farmer’s market, in Santa Monica, to infuse an element of spontaneity into her creations and credits her foundation in the art of pastry making to baking alongside her mother at a young age. At 18, Potthoff honed in on her innate talents and sought out an internship at a local Los Angeles bakery, welcoming the long days of kneading and folding, and invaluable mentorship.
To refine the skills and finesse needed to create sophisticated dishes, Potthoff traveled to France to attend the prestigious L'ecole Nationale Superieure de la Pâtisserie, where she mastered classic techniques such as creating glazes and sabayons. Her training gifted her the ability to perfect taste, texture and presentation.
Upon joining the Wolfgang Puck team at Spago to work alongside culinary icon Sherry Yard, Potthoff was able to cultivate her vision and move on to lead the pastry program at CUT by Wolfgang Puck at the landmark Beverly Wilshire Hotel, catering to the diverse palettes of the hotel’s international guests. She returns to the family of culinary masterminds to continue to learn and lead the craft of pastry making at WP24 Restaurant.
