Most of us are no strangers to sharing secrets and juicy gossip over a meal or dessert. Now that experience is available as a special menu item at a New York bakery.
‘GOSSIP for 2’ is a collaboration between Julie Hinault, a French food designer based in New York, and Olivier Dessyn, owner and pastry chef of Mille Feuille Bakery Café. It is designed for two people and is inspired by the conversations between close friends.
Hinault came up with the concept while writing her master thesis in France, when she started questioning the relationship between food, conversation, and the status of dessert. She decided to research on it and studied couples, friends, and families sharing meals outside and at home, observing the link between food and conversation, and the special role dessert plays in facilitating banter.
Hinault explains the rationale behind the idea, “By the time you get to dessert, all your vital needs are met, you are not hungry anymore, you can relax, and let go. It is therefore the perfect moment for sharing secrets and confidences. Dessert is often seen as an indulgence, many of us often share a cake, or only take a small piece. We cannot bear the idea of indulging alone, we prefer to share our guilt!”
She and Dessyn partnered to create GOSSIP for 2, a cake made with almonds, sweet coconut, bitter chocolate mousse, juicy pineapple, and sour lime. Each ingredient gives the cake a distinct flavor, and embodies the characteristics of sharing a good piece of gossip. The cake comes in two icing tones to indicate how it is meant to be shared.
GOSSIP for 2 is available at Mille Feuille Bakery Café for US$12.
[via Design Milk, images via Julie Hinault]