Next Steps Senior Transitions

They look delicious

Dec 9th is National Pastry Day!
(pictured below from Val’s Bakery)

The earliest pastries were created by ancient Egyptians and Greeks, who combined flour and honey to make primitive sweets. The Greeks were among the first to use filo-style dough, paving the way for layered pastries.

Pastry as we know it today took shape in medieval Europe. Cooks began experimenting with fat-enriched doughs, creating early versions of shortcrust and puff pastry. These techniques spread across France, Italy, and the Middle East, where spices, nuts, and fruits were folded into dough to create treats worthy of royalty.

By the 17th and 18th centuries, pastry-making had become a fine art in France. Chefs refined puff pastry, choux pastry, and viennoiserie, leading to stars like:

Croissants, Éclairs, Mille-feuille, Cream puffs

The French influence helped elevate pastries from simple sweets to elegant, delicate creations.

European immigrants brought their pastry traditions to the United States, shaping what became bakeries, diners, and dessert counters filled with:

Danishes,Turnovers, Donuts. Cream pies. innamon rolls

By the 1900s, America was a true melting pot of pastry styles.