Pastry Chef Andrea Upchurch of Cypress - Biography

South Carolina born and raised, Andrea Upchurch is baking the food of her roots as executive pastry chef of Craig Deihl’s low country empire. Having spent her childhood cooking alongside her mother and grandmother, Upchurch felt the pull of the kitchen from an early age, so and eventuallyshe attended the Culinary Institute of Charleston to complete degrees in both Culinary Arts and Hospitality and Tourism Management. It was during her academic career that she discovered her particular love of pastries, which she would go on to make the focus of her professional career.

Upchurch’s first position out of school was at local German bakery Rococo, where she gained experience producing breads, pastries, and muffins for a little over a year. She also had a small business crafting occasion cakes, on the side. And as if those two positions weren’t enough to keep her busy, Upchurch decided to take on a third role, as pastry assistant at Cypress in 2005. Realizing the opportunity for growth within the Hospitality Management Group, she traded her bakery job for morning shifts at another of the group’s restaurants, Magnolias. After 4 years of hard work Upchurch was awarded the role of pastry chef at both Blossom and Magnolias and departed Cypress to oversee their programs, including production of not only pastries, but breads and pastas as well.

In spring of 2013, after eight years of working with HMG, Upchurch was promoted to executive pastry chef of all three restaurants—Cypress, Magnolias, and Blossom. Her desserts are grounded in the traditions of the regional Southern cuisine she knows and loves, and executed with an eye to modern innovations and the forward-thinking palate.