Fort Wayne is home to some amazing food on wheels. From gourmet hot dogs and crab Rangoon pizza to pho, you can pretty much get it all….now including from scratch apple fritters, doughnuts and a variety of pastries. Behold the newest addition to Fort Wayne’s food truck fleet – Hetty Arts Pastry Truck!
Hetty Arts, owner and pastry chef extraordinaire, is no stranger to the art of pastry making. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist. With a name like that, it's so easy!) She grew up on a dairy farm in Holland and at the age of 13 her family moved to Convoy, Ohio. Initially Hetty attended Ohio State as an interior design major. Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs (her parents and brothers are dairy farmers and her sister is a florist), it was no surprise that Hetty wanted to make her own way in the world. Her mother recommended baking as an alternative path when she felt that interior design wasn’t her cup of tea. I assumed she was a natural born baker and Hetty gave me a look. “I was terrible at baking,” she laughed. “My sister will be the first to tell you. She was actually the baker when we were kids! She would tell me what to do and she never lets me forget about the time I was supposed to help her whip cream and I ended up over whipping it and turned it into butter. So no, I wouldn’t say I had any natural talent initially!”
When looking for a program at Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati, OH, Hetty was immediately drawn to the sparkling pastry kitchens. “They were so beautiful,” she remarks. “And it just came so easy for me. It was like I was meant to do it!” When I asked her if she was ever interested in other forms of cooking (considering the butter incident) she noted, “when you are a savory chef you have to wear 17 hats. As a pastry chef you only need to wear like 7 hats. Much more manageable!” Graduating at the top of her class with a degree in baking and pastry arts, she immediately landed a job at Joseph Decuis, which at that time was a very modern farm to fork concept that was relatively new to Fort Wayne.
While visiting a friend in NYC she found out that there was an opening at Eleven Madison Park and was given the opportunity to work with the pastry chef as a stagiare, which is a form of unpaid internship in the cooking world. “I highly recommend anyone interested in the craft to work as a stagiare at a high-end restaurant.” Besides the great connections, you are learning from some of the best in the industry. She was offered a job as a pastry chef at the 3 Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, which exposed her to some of the most elevated forms of pastry cooking and a talented team to learn from. After spending four months in that coveted role, she was brought back closer to home when her mother became ill. New York had spoiled her with its high caliber of chefs she was learning alongside and although she was working at the Four Season in Chicago, she felt like she wasn’t learning anymore. A quick jaunt at Untitled in River North had her working with three other pastry chefs, but she found that it wasn’t moving fast enough and she felt like she had to stop and teach a lot. “This is when I knew I didn’t want to be a teacher. I felt like I was constantly thinking why don’t they get it yet! And that’s when I realized that I already knew what I needed to branch out on my own.”
“I have a family friend in the hospitality industry who asked if I could build my perfect bus, what would it be? I knew no one was doing from scratch doughnuts and I really felt that would be a niche for me.” In Chicago, Hetty saw how successful doughnut trucks were and kept that idea in the back of her mind as she started her business in Fort Wayne. Taking advantage CookSpring, the shared kitchen at The Summit, she was able to start making from scratch doughnuts and macarons. “CookSpring is phenomenal. So many local businesses, like Affine food truck, got their start in the 2400 square foot commercial kitchen that has spaces available for rent. They truly deserve a shout out for enabling culinary entrepreneurs to get their start.”
“The thing about Fort Wayne is everyone is so kind and inclusive,” she remarked. By being involved in YLNI, using her connections with Former Joseph Decuis alums Aaron Butts and Sean Richardson now of the Golden, and word of mouth she was quickly providing pastries all around town at spots like Ted’s Market, Conjure Coffee, and both the YLNI Barr Street Market as well as the Fort Wayne Farmer’s Market at Parkview Field.
Knowing her product was already a hit all around town, it made it that much easier for Hetty to start her own Pastry Truck. The truck had its inaugural opening at the Parkview Field Farmer’s market, where you can find it throughout the winter. “I eventually want to do late night doughnuts. And I would love to help out the morning commuter. I mean coffee and doughnuts in the morning…it does a body good!”
Hetty’s typical menu will consist of staples like boston crème, apple fritters, and old fashioneds. She will also include a weekly special…one week it was a maple glazed doughnut topped with freshly made bacon from the Golden. (I think that one should become a staple!) “I like to take classics and make them even more awesome. While you think the unique flavors are what people might go for, you’d be surprised to see they love the staples if it is an amazing version of it!”
Hetty Arts Pastry truck is an amazing addition to Fort Wayne and I am excited to see it rolling our streets. She plans on having it available at schools and races as well...the only run I ever do is the wine run since wine is involved, but I will definitely run for a pastry! Be sure to follow Hetty Pastry Arts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook so you can stalk the truck and get your pastry fix!
