By: Alondra Nicole
Chris Sayegh is the studied food chemist, author of Simon & Schuster published cookbook, Sugar High – and lead confectioner at Nice & Sweet Bakery in Los Angeles. A typical day for Chef Chris is spent at Nice & Sweet bakery, leading a team of talented culinarians through the wonders of crafting their adventurous ideas into delectable pastries. The acclaimed chemist, author, and baker is steadily becoming LA’s newest anomaly of talent – with critics of the city titling him ‘the crossover of a pastry chef, and emerging social personality.’
Following up a successful grand opening extravaganza is no challenge for Nice & Sweet Bakery. In fact, chef Chris Sayegh and comedian, @blakewebber, have joined forces to bring Los Angeles a new and never-before experienced, Gluten Free Banana Bread Loaf – full of youthful elements that resulted in a heartfelt depiction of friendship. Chris Sayegh and @blakewebber have been keeping their dynamic brotherhood alive since 2016 – eagerly awaiting the opportunity to venture into a creative project together. “I think that people are really going to love this collaboration throughout the month of May,” said Chef Chris ,“ Not only because of the hilarious content we put out on the @niceandsweetla Instagram, but because the banana bread is absolutely BANANAS! No pun intended. This bakery presents new chances to have fun with life while also being creative, so of course I thought of my pal Aristotle.” The collaboration connecting Chef Chris and bubbly comedian, @blakewebber, represents the Nice & Sweet Bakery philosophy brought to life. That is, to create an unpretentious, yet vivacious nook of generously crafted baked delicacies where Angeleno’s can gather to enjoy their time being alive.
Comedian @blakewebber (whose first name is actually Aristotle) has 1.5 million followers on Instagram, and a hit song called ‘So L.A.’ with 40,000 views on YouTube. ,“My comedic journey began when I was a child watching standup comedy,” shared Blake ,“I loved the art form so much and knew I wanted to be a funny person since then. I began doing stand up and sketch comedy in college, and I really haven’t stopped.”
The Gluten Free Banana Bread Loaf creation is near and dear to the heart of Aristotle – aka, @blakewebber, who is also a highly requested club DJ that spins dance mixes at venues all over the nation. During the eccentricity of his childhood, Aristotle’s mother baked banana bread on the weekends. After the homemade banana loaf cooled off on the counter, a young @blakewebber enjoyed the finished masterpiece for breakfast the entire week following. Chef Chris was moved by the significance that a baked invention had on his friend’s life, and decided to re-create it adding a few Nice & Sweet touches. ,“The bakery’s version of @blakewebber’s childhood Banana Bread has a few new twists: it is Gluten Free, and is topped with a luxurious,
Valrhona Caramelia Chocolate whipped Ganache. You can’t even tell this is gluten free,” announced Chef Chris, “But you can tell that this is the best banana bread you’ve ever had. I wish I could say that without people thinking I’m only saying it because the Banana Bread is a Nice & Sweet creation. I’m dead serious though, it’s insane.”
Chef Chris Sayegh has plans to bestow more warm, collaborative creations upon Los Angeles, stating ,“Lots more collaborations are coming up in the future. I am very excited to work with some of my friends, like Sean MacDonald, Mike Bagale, Brad Kilgor, and Tala Bishmi. Joe Sasto, too, and Elvis Romeo, and Danny Duncan. Rip & Dip, Pom Wonderful and many more amazing people will be here to create history at Nice & Sweet.” Though the fun experienced during collaborations is astronomical, the ‘Sugar High’ author maintains his focus on the art of baking — delivering authentic quality pastries even during his collaborative endeavors. , “In any collaboration, I want to hear from the collaborator about anything on their mind. If they are a chef, or pastry chef, we bounce ideas off one another. But, if they need a helping hand from me, I take the lead and make sure I check in with them every step of the way. In the Aristotle collab, he wanted Gluten Free banana bread – so I amplified its richness with technique, toasted walnuts, and a luscious Carmelia whipped ganache topping.”
Enjoy a piece of genuine friendship through a soft bite of GF Banana Bread at Nice & Sweet Bakery – brought to you by Chef Chris Sayegh, and comedian @blakewebber- aka, the modern day Aristotle. ,“It’s invigorating to work with enthusiastic people like Chef Chris,” said @blakewebber ,“There’s just a groove you find yourself in during the collaboration that gives you a sense of higher purpose.”