Interview with Boston Rising Star Pastry Chef Rachel Sundet of Hungry Mother and State Park

Caroline Hatchett: How long have you been here at Hungry Mother?
Rachel Sundet: I’ve been here as pastry chef for four and a half years. And before that I was here for a year part time. My husband [Tyler] and I met in Seattle; we were working at Brasa. I was there for two and a half years. [Tamara Murphy] was one of the first people dedicated to local and sustainable produce and livestock. She had a whole program with farms north of Seattle. She was really passionate, and set the tone for me. Here we do lots of canning in the summer, setting ourselves up for the cold months. We use all local farms, and try to preserve as much as we can, whole. Berries, rhubarb, plums, and peaches all hold up well in syrup. We stay with the seasons and what we can get locally. 

CH: What did you do when you left Seattle?
RS: We moved back East, spent a summer on the cape, made cheese in Maine for eight months. Tyler started working at Hungry Mother on the prep team and I was working at Formaggio Kitchen. I missed making things myself, and started working there part time. I happily slid into the position.

CH: Did you go to culinary school?
RS: I went to Leiths School of Food and Wine [in London], slightly accidentally, and did undergrad before that at Columbia; I was an anthropology major. I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do. After school, I decided to spend time abroad. I have lots of family in London, so lived with my grandmother.

CH: What was your firsts professional gig?
RS: I got a job at Upstairs on the Square with Amanda Lydon and Susan Regis. I liked creating things. I started on garde manger; I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself as girl who would bake. I wanted to be well rounded. I worked the line at Upstairs, then the line at Brasa, and had a part time job at a bakery.

CH: What’s your five year plan?
RS: I think since having a baby, my perspective has changed. I still take my job seriously, and have high standards, but I used to get very anxious and beat myself up more. With my son around, it helps me put things in perspective. Since I’ve been back to work, I think I’m trying to enjoy myself more. Try not to worry about what I should be doing, or the kinds of things I should be making. It’s easy to question yourself. I take a different approach to enjoy what I’m doing. With the opening of State Park, we joined ownership team. I love ownership here and working at Hungry Mother. Our hope is to keep expanding, and I would be in more of an overseeing role, with whatever project we take on next.