When it comes to killer combos, sweet and salty is a tough pair to beat.
Take Holowchik and Husbands. She’s a wunderkind dessert wizard, currently doling out confections at the Townshend in Quincy, with a reputation as sugary-sweet as the creative treats (from boozy Fernet bonbons to popcorn ice cream) that place her among the area’s most popular young pastry chefs. He’s the tatted barbecue expert behind Cambridge’s the Smoke Shop and South End stalwart Tremont 647, a straight-shooting toque who unflinchingly withstood the tongue lashings of Gordon Ramsay on Hell’s Kitchen.
Yet Holowchik credits Husbands’ firm-yet-familial style with preparing her for success in the industry. “He’s been my Boston dad,” says New Hampshire transplant Holowchik, who received her “first real pastry job” in Boston at 647. She says Husbands offered the creative freedom that sparked her now-signature playful style, but tempered his latitude with tough-but-fair critique that egged her on to improve—not unlike Holowchik’s actual father, an ex-military man.
“He never candy-coated anything,” Holowchik says. “He was always firm. He’d occasionally yell. But he was always supportive with the best intentions.”
Whenever Holowchik was between jobs, Husbands held open the door at 647, where she’s cycled through three times. He’s watched out for her career, nurtured her creativity and helped her manage anxiety stirred by less-savory bosses.
She, in turn, helped soften some of his harder edges. “Kate has a focus and intensity, but she’s also just smiley and goofy. She brings levity,” Husbands says. “I’ve just offered little nudges. To be a chef is to be a teacher.”
Perfect Pairings
By Scott Kearnan | Photo Credit: Holly Rike | Feb. 10, 2017
Andy Husbands & Kate Holowchik
When it comes to killer combos, sweet and salty is a tough pair to beat.
Take Holowchik and Husbands. She’s a wunderkind dessert wizard, currently doling out confections at the Townshend in Quincy, with a reputation as sugary-sweet as the creative treats (from boozy Fernet bonbons to popcorn ice cream) that place her among the area’s most popular young pastry chefs. He’s the tatted barbecue expert behind Cambridge’s the Smoke Shop and South End stalwart Tremont 647, a straight-shooting toque who unflinchingly withstood the tongue lashings of Gordon Ramsay on Hell’s Kitchen.
Yet Holowchik credits Husbands’ firm-yet-familial style with preparing her for success in the industry. “He’s been my Boston dad,” says New Hampshire transplant Holowchik, who received her “first real pastry job” in Boston at 647. She says Husbands offered the creative freedom that sparked her now-signature playful style, but tempered his latitude with tough-but-fair critique that egged her on to improve—not unlike Holowchik’s actual father, an ex-military man.
“He never candy-coated anything,” Holowchik says. “He was always firm. He’d occasionally yell. But he was always supportive with the best intentions.”
Whenever Holowchik was between jobs, Husbands held open the door at 647, where she’s cycled through three times. He’s watched out for her career, nurtured her creativity and helped her manage anxiety stirred by less-savory bosses.
She, in turn, helped soften some of his harder edges. “Kate has a focus and intensity, but she’s also just smiley and goofy. She brings levity,” Husbands says. “I’ve just offered little nudges. To be a chef is to be a teacher.”
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