Welcome to the first edition of Name That Pastry Chef… and Chocolatier, Candy Maker, and Bread Baker (if you thought we wouldn't interpret the term democratically). The rules: No clicking on “Post a Comment” until you've read the entire post, no tossing credit to the executive chef where pastry chef credit is due, and absolutely no licking the bottom of the virtual brownie batter-lined bowl.

Here's how it works. We post clues at the beginning of the week. Photos are involved. You attempt to Name That Pastry Chef with your mouse clicks (spoons are encouraged, but not required). Later in the week, a tuille recipe may appear to make your 4 p.m. office coffee break go down easier. And that's when we reveal the secret pastry chef/chocolatier/bread baker extraordinaire. An easy one, to start.

This week's mystery pastry chef is entirely too young to have such an impressive pedigree, Providence, XIV, and Water Grill among them. He has angelic hands when it comes to anything frozen, even sans Pacojet.

You might call him our Frank Gehry of pastry, a local Deconstructivist (in plain food-English, a pull-apart cinnamon roll type) who must have been a Lego builder as a kid.

Or you could just say this guy prefers the Cubist version of German chocolate cake, breaking it down into its component parts, and rebuilding it as he pleases. Right. As long as it still tastes good.

What Would Picasso Think?; Credit: Jenn Garbee

What Would Picasso Think?; Credit: Jenn Garbee

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