Sprout Restaurant in Lincoln Park in Chicago has launched a brand new pastry program with the addition of its newest team member, pastry chef Jenna Lee Crile.  Crile, who is also the pastry chef at Sprout’s sister restaurant, Frog and Snail, will oversee the pastry departments at both restaurants, which are owned by Chef Dale Levitski.  

Crile has been involved in the Chicago food scene for years, getting her start working front of house at Jared Wentworth’s Longman & Eagle and Stephanie Izard’s Girl & The Goat.  She then went on to work as an intern at Paul Kahan’s Publican before working as a pastry assistant at the legendary Chicago eatery MK.  Following her stint at MK, Crile spent time with Dale Levitski at Sprout before moving on to Baume & Brix to learn about breads and what she calls “the general wizardry” that goes on in that kitchen.  With the opening of Frog & Snail, Crile reunited with Chef Levitski and says she is thrilled to be running the pastry programs at both of his eateries.

The new pastry menu is being kept under wraps until it is unveiled to the public, but Criles admits that one of the highlights of the new dessert menu at Sprout will  be the Avocado Bomb, which she refers to as her “heart and soul on a plate.”  The dessert starts with avocado, which takes on a creamy, mousse-like consistency, to which Crile adds scratch-made black sesame ice cream, sweet corn, thinly sliced radishes, and cherry puree.

Crile will handle the desserts for Sprout’s Mothers Day brunch on May 12th, and her new full dessert menu will be unveiled in June.