Please introduce yourself to our fans
Hello! I’m Christina Wood, the founder, chef and owner of Temple Pastries in the Central District of Seattle. I taught myself how to bake in my home kitchen in Gainesville, FL and moved to Seattle 10 years ago to gain professional experience. After working under Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie winner William Leaman and James Beard nominated baker James Miller, I started Temple Pastries as a croissant pop-up and wholesale delivery business in 2018. I started selling pastries to coffee shops and cafes, and setting up at farmers markets and events (including this one!). I opened the physical bakery in the central district in October 2020 and we’ve been a Seattle favorite ever since, expanding our offerings to include composed desserts, cookies, tea cake, sourdough bread, and pizza.
Were you always interested in baking?
I didn’t get interested in baking until my mid-20s! I grew up in a very strict religious household, and we didn’t really indulge in decadent food or other “earthly pleasures”. When I went away to college, I broadened my horizons considerably and my best friend got me interested in food. I started learning how to cook, but baking stole my heart because of its precision and formulaic nature.
When did you realize you really mastered things and felt confident to open up your small business?
When I moved to Seattle, I looked up what the best bakeries were and only applied to the top tier because I wanted to learn from the best. After spending almost four years working at the two best Seattle bakeries at that time, I felt there was nowhere left to work where I would be learning. It was really scary to start a business, but I felt I had few other options and I had lots of support from my coworkers, friends and husband.
What recipe would you suggest for newbies in your new book, Pastry Temple?
Start with the pillar recipes! It’s tempting to go straight for the most eye-catching recipes, but focus on (and repeat often) the pillar recipes to really understand the techniques before you elaborate on them.