Name: Becky Broeske
Age: 26
Gig: Pastry Sous Chef at Absinthe Group

What is one thing you love most about working in this industry?
"The creativity and how everyone brings something different to the table."

How do you handle working in what some may perceive as a male-dominated industry?
"Fart jokes and showing lots of leg."

How long have you been involved in the culinary world, and what initially brought you into it?
"I went to Kendall College in Chicago. My first job after graduating was for Mindy Segal at Hot Chocolate. She basically taught me how to work in a kitchen, to be organized, and to stay calm when your getting your ass handed to you. Then I worked at Blackbird with Tim Dahl. He taught me a lot about different flavor combinations and why things work together or not. After working there for about two years, Paul Kahan hired me as the opening Pastry Chef at the Publican. There isn't a separate pastry kitchen, so I was able to learn a lot from the savory cooks I worked next to. It was an incredible experience. I gained confidence in realizing that I knew more than I thought I did, but also realized there's so much more that I needed to learn."

What other restaurants in S.F. do you love?
"We just moved here in October, so we haven't gotten out much, but Blue Plate rocks my world. Cheeseboard Pizza is pretty good and three blocks from my house. Ark Chinese in Alameda has really awesome garlic noodles. The dude hand-pulls them right there — it's awesome."

Photographed by Molly DeCoudreaux