Pastry and Chocolate

A Conversation with Federico Fernandez, Marisa Sun and Donald Wressell about Pastry and Chocolate

By Federico Fernandez, Marisa Sun and Donald Wressell

Sponsored by

Only a short walk away from the Guittard Chocolate Studio in Culver City, stands Bianca, a family-owned restaurant and bakery that has become an L.A.-area destination for fresh bread, pastries and custom cakes. It’s also home to a delicious savory menu where the classic flavors of Argentina, Italy and France come together. Recently, our Executive Pastry Chef, Donald Wressell, spent the day with Federico Fernandez and Marisa Sun. The former pastry colleagues from his days at the Four Seasons currently make magic as co-owners and pastry chefs at Bianca. They discussed the transition from pastry at the Four Seasons to running their own bakery, their culinary influences and the key to success in their new endeavor.

Donald: For as many times as I’ve been here, I don’t think I’ve heard the story about the origin of Bianca. How did you make the transition into your own business? 

Marissa: After many years of traveling the world with the Four Seasons, we moved with them to Los Angeles. Federico just loved L.A. In his eyes you get it all – the beach, the city, the mountains – and after a couple of years living here, he knew this was where he wanted to put down roots. It was the perfect place to open something of our own.  

Federico:  We always thought we wanted a small place of our own, but having something smaller means you have to do it all yourself. As we were asking others for advice on getting started, we met with Gianni and Nicola Vietina of Madeo Ristorante. They had been around for three decades and were the epitome of a successful family business – still are. Serendipitously, they were looking to expand with a fresh concept. We decided to pull together a joint concept, bringing together the classic flavors of Argentina, Italy and France. We found a place that could hold a bakery and a restaurant in the same space, where we could have a storefront, restaurant dining and capacity to support wholesale and catering, too. 

Donald: You’ve been open for over five years now. What’s been the best part? The hardest part?

Marisa: The best part is that we are a great team. Federico and Gianni and Nicola and I and also our amazing employees. We have over 60 employees and — believe it or not — some of our employees come in at 3:00 a.m. to learn and train. I was raised in the restaurant business – my parents ran a Chinese restaurant in Argentina – and I’ve always been drawn to the energy and commitment of people in this industry. We’ve also had our fair share of ups and downs. We opened right before the pandemic, which plunged us into survival mode not too long after we opened. But we’re owners without investors, so we had to get resourceful and creative. This instilled in us a “must-survive” mindset early on.

Donald: Let’s get specific about pastry – what do you love about pastry and why did you choose to focus on this part of the culinary world?

Marisa: First and foremost, I love to eat it! It is different from the kitchen – it’s more specific, more precise and measured and consistent and methodical. Right now I’m obsessed with laminated dough – I like to rotate to different stations and follow a methodical process to bring it to life. 

Federico: Execution is everything in pastry. It’s delicate and you can’t rush it. I love it all: wedding cakes, plated desserts, lamination chocolate, bread. The Bianca customer wants things simple but done really well, so it has been really fun transforming pastry techniques into simpler but still finely executed desserts and bakery offerings.

Chocolate and Dulce de Leche Alfajores

By Federico Fernandez and Marisa Sun, Co-Owners and Pastry Chefs, Bianca

Yield: makes 15

• 200 g granulated sugar
• 200 g butter
• 50 g honey
• 40 g malt extract
• 50 g water
• 2 whole eggs
• 20 g Guittard® Cocoa Rouge Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 5 g baking soda
• 400 g all-purpose flour
• 100 g cornstarch

1. Cream the sugar and butter
2. Add the honey, malt extract and water.
3. Add the eggs.
4. Slowly add the combined cocoa powder, baking soda, flour and cornstarch. Don’t overmix.
5. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
6. Sheet the dough to .16 inches (4 mm) and cut into 2-inch (50 mm) circles. Place the rounds onto a paper-lined sheet pan.
7. Bake at 350°F (177°C) in a convection oven for 6-8 minutes. There shouldn’t be any color, and the cookies should pull away completely clean from the parchment paper.
8. Once the mixture is cool, sandwich with Dulce de Leche filling.

Dulce de Leche Filling

• 500 g San Ignacio® Dulce de Leche
• 20 g Cyrano Armagnac
• Zest of 1 orange

1. Mix all ingredients and reserve.

Enrobing

• 250 g Guittard® Coucher du Soleil 72% Dark Chocolate Couverture
• 100 g cocoa butter

1. Temper the chocolate and cocoa butter.
2. Dip and decorate the assembled Alfajores.

(This article appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)