Wilshire Restaurant Introduces Custom Cakes By Jen Shen

Wilshire Restaurant in Santa Monica announces their new service of custom baked specialty cakes created by Pastry Chef Jen Shen available through advance order.

Chef Shen has designed a menu of eight flavors of cake, including Chocolate Chiffon, Red Velvet, Espresso Sponge and White Chocolate Buttermilk that can be combined with a variety of fillings that can serve an intimate group of four to a gathering of 25 guests. Among the eight fillings to complement the cakes are Banana Cream, Dark Chocolate Mousse, Mascarpone Cream, Vanilla Whipped Cream or classic Vanilla Buttercream, each of which can be combined with fresh raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and other seasonal fruits, sorbets or ice creams to bring a spectacular finish to any lunch or dinner celebration.

In addition to the traditional cake selection, Shen also offers customized specialty pastries of Tiramisu, Coconut Tres Leches, Baked Alaska and Berry Cream. Custom cakes and desserts prices range from $39 for four guests to $130 for 25 and require 48-72 hours advance order and credit card payment.

The Wilshire cake selections can be enjoyed while dining at the restaurant or for take-out with prior notice and chef approval.

Wilshire's talented Pastry Chef Jen Shen joined the team at Wilshire Restaurant in May of 2008. The 27-year-old Shen says, "There's nothing like a home-style cake to celebrate a special occasion. I've collected some classics and personal favorites that everyone will love." Shen, who trained at Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone in St. Helena, California and worked under the guidance of acclaimed Pastry Chef Sherry Yard at Spago Beverly Hills, expresses her appreciation of the local farmers' market ingredients in her menus. In 2005, Shen was nominated as a "Chefs on the Rise" finalist at the Los Angeles County Fair.

Shen's desserts complement the culinary style of Andrew Kirschner, Wilshire's Executive Chef since 2008, whose contemporary urban cuisine menu is firmly grounded in classic technique and is recognized as one of Los Angeles' most promising chefs. His seasonal menu is defined by simplicity and balance and shows his diversity with market-based ingredients. In addition to Wilshire's weekly menu, Kirschner also features a selection of wood-grilled prime steaks with a variety of house-made sauces and side dishes.

Wilshire has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, Angeleno, Food & Wine and Bon Appetit and was voted as one of the top 75 restaurants in the city by Los Angeles magazine. In 2008, Chef Kirschner was awarded Best New Chef by Angeleno and received a coveted 3 star review from S. Irene Virbila from the Los Angeles Times. He is this year's winner of Soyjoy's Earth Day Culinary Competition, Battle of the Chefs: Eco-Cuisine, a live cooking competition with notable chefs. He was recently honored to appear as guest chef at James Beard House chef to a sold out dinner.

Wilshire's superb wine list was sited as one of the "Best New American Wine Lists" by Food & Wine magazine in 2006 and lists 250 selections, including organic and biodynamic offerings. The restaurant actively supports local, organic, and sustainable purveyors and utilizes practices that promote energy conservation and a better quality of life for the community, such as the use of recyclable building materials and the use of biodegradable containers.

The restaurant was honored with a Grand Prize in the city of Santa Monica's 2007 Sustainable Quality Awards.

For reservations, the public can call:
Wilshire Restaurant
2454 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90403
310.586.1707 or visit www.OpenTable.com
Visit Wilshire Restaurant on the Web at
www.W