She traveled a winding road to become executive pastry chef for an acclaimed restaurant trio and Tracy Dempsey's creative repertoire is surely all the more delicious for it. This Spring Tracy opens her own restaurant, Confection at Southbridge.
Destiny first called to her one sunny Christmas in California, as she spied a Betty Crocker Easy Bake Oven under the tree. From a 4-year-old's initial excitement and countless childhood days spent creating miniature treats for her family, Tracy's passion for baking and desserts became a constant in her life.
Her father's work as a geologist brought opportunities for the family to live in interesting locales – including Texas, England, Singapore and for six years, Indonesia. By age 20, a well-traveled Tracy had sampled sweets all over the world and was well-versed in the subtle alchemy of baking. After being graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, she taught French at both her alma mater and the University of Oklahoma at Norman. There, she completed her MA in French Language & Literature and began doctoral studies in 18th Century French Literature & Women's Studies. While fiancé Chuck finished his MS in Meteorology, Tracy lived in France teaching English at the Institut Universitaire Polytechnique de Clermont-Ferrand-Blaise-Pascal. After their marriage, she continued her doctoral program until 1994, when Chuck became the on-site research presence for the National Severe Storms Laboratory at Arizona's Salt River Project. Since they planned to spend only 18 months in the desert, Tracy shifted gears and became an ESL teacher.
Five years later, friends and neighbors urged her to turn her avocation into a small business and with Chuck's help, Tracy began filling orders for wedding cakes. Soon she was back on the other side of academia and after completing the culinary program at Scottsdale Community College, became a baker at Marriott Mountain Shadows Resort. She quickly moved on to Lon's, the celebrated restaurant at Hermosa Inn, Paradise Valley's historic adobe home turned boutique resort. Restaurant Hapa and Gregory's World Bistro were her next proving grounds. At the latter, her talent was given freedom to blossom and she developed a dessert list to mesh with Gregory Casale's globally inspired cuisine, as well as a devoted following of guests who craved her inventive, soul-satisfying desserts.
While enjoying the success and recognition of private enterprise, remaining involved in education has been a priority for Tracy. She has been an Advisory Board member for the SCC Culinary Program; taught an academic course in 2003-2004 and continues her affiliation as a guest speaker and presenter of wedding cake demos. In Fall 2003, Tracy joined the teaching team at Sweet Basil gourmet shop and cooking school, where she leads groups through varied classes including: Grilling; French & Tuscan cuisines; Cocktails & Cocktail Nibbles; Pressure Cookery and every now and then, Desserts as well. She has participated each year in Getting Our Just Desserts, an annual event benefiting women's and children's charities across the metropolitan Phoenix area.
With silicone baking mats and candy thermometer in tow, Tracy arrived at Restaurant Row in June, 2004 to the formidable task of bringing changes to the beloved dessert menu at Cowboy Ciao and crafting desserts for a trio of establishments with a combined total of 16 Wine Spectator Awards. Her mandate was wine friendly desserts to complement Chef Bernie Kantak's menu of unique Modern American cuisine with global twists and dominant influences from Italy, Mexico and the Southwest. Tracy's transformation of two "hallowed" favorites prompted Nikki Buchanan to write, in Phoenix Magazine's January 2005 issue, "as much as I loved the originals, I really think the new desserts are even more provocative." With ingredients ranging from dried sweet corn and fresh sage to chipotle peppers and bacon, provocative is not too strong a word. Yes, bacon – welcome to the unpredictable world of Tracy Dempsey's break-the-rules (while still keeping it comforting and familiar) desserts.
At Kazimierz world wine bar, Tracy crafted sweet and savory items to blend with Bernie's global grazing menu, the 2500+ bottle wine list and a wealth of esoteric post-dinner sippers. It was no surprise she had the skills and intuition to achieve the desired, big-city result, while remaining true to her philosophy of desserts which evoke warm, comforting memories and speak to the inner child in us all. Blue Cheese Cheesecake with Black Pepper Crust might partner with a late harvest zinfandel, Earl Grey Flourless Chocolate Cake romances a pedro ximènez from Spain and Ruby Port Truffle Cake cozies up to a vintage Australian port. Intoxicating as they are in their own right, Tracy's creations reach new heights of sensory overload when they are paired with the perfect adult beverage.
Tracy’s ability to turn unexpected ingredients into desserts people love (especially two creative and exacting chefs), has won her a growing legion of fans and glowing reviews from her first year at Restaurant Row (Phoenix Magazine, Arizona Foothills, Arizona Food & Lifestyles, Arizona Woman, Scottsdale Airpark News). She has also been quoted in AAA Highroads and Nations Restaurant News. With desserts on the drawing board for the Star Spangled Tavern, scheduled to open in 2006, Tracy has only just begun to hit her stride and the future looks very sweet indeed.