Nuha Abuduhair, Pastry Chef and Owner
Company Mission
17 Berkshire aims to provide a little bit of luxury for your everyday life. We combine a medley of global flavors and present them in beautiful pastries for guests to enjoy for all of life’s celebrations.
Signature Products
17 Berkshire is known for its daily assortment of macarons. We bake everything in house daily and offer a rotating menu of flavors. We are also known for epic theme days! Think of your favorite category, but celebrated in pastry form. 
Production Tip
We bake macarons in batches daily. Macarons must have a “skin” form prior to baking, which can be tricky once they’re lined up on a baking rack. To help speed up this process, we turn on a medium-sized floor fan aimed at the macarons. The fan is tucked in neatly next to the trays and will help us achieve those necessary skins!
Equipment ‘Must-Haves’
A kitchen scale is a must-have piece of equipment for us. It keeps the product consistent, is pretty straight forward when employees are reading recipes, and also reduces the number of tools you have to clean at the end of a recipe.
Secret of Success
Figure out what your signature pastry will be and double down on that. What do you want to be known for? This is what will bring customers in the door. Once they’re in, you can lure them with other delicious temptations. The goal is to get them into the shop first!
Future Goals
Implementing systems into our daily routines is something I have been wanting to do for years. It would decrease my daily decision making and help keep everyone on the same page. I’ve also decided to cross-train all front-of-house and back-of-house employees. They may not work in both arenas, but as a small business with less than 10 employees, if one employee calls in sick, we feel it. Having more teammates to tag is always helpful!
For more info, visit www.17berkshire.com
(This article appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)
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