Tastemakers 2023: Aaron Clouse, Executive Pastry Chef at Parable Coffee
For years now, chef Clouse has been wowing local diners (and Food Network judges) with his technical pastry skills and creative flair.
After stints at the Refectory, L Brands, Hilton Columbus Downtown, Mmelo Boutique Confections and A&R Creative Group (plus appearances on the Food Network shows Guy’s Grocery Games, Halloween Baking Championship and The Big Bake), Aaron Clouse joined Parable Coffee (149 S. High St.) earlier this year to oversee the shop’s pastry program. His inventive confections quickly found an audience at the Downtown coffee shop.
My Kind of Town
Clouse attended the French Pastry School in Chicago. As a small-town kid, moving to Chicago was a life-shaping experience for Clouse. “The best way I could describe it is, it’s very militant, which was probably really good for me at that age,” he says of pastry school. “Once you dove in, it was like, ‘You are going to be doing this, and it’s going to be intense,’ but also you learn very quickly.” Clouse spent his free time exploring the city’s robust culinary scene. “I felt like I was a kid all over again, just being exposed to so many different things,” he says.
Pastry Wunderkind
Clouse moved to Columbus in 2013 for a job at the Refectory. Over the past decade, he’s made a name for himself in the local pastry scene. At Parable, he’s known for his circular croissants with creative flavors, like the Miso Sweet Corn Croissant and the Raspberry & Ruby Croissant Supreme. “Plated desserts and breakfast pastries were the two things that have been the constant [for me],” he says. “I also like the artistic side of the plated desserts and then bringing that into the croissant game. I think it really plays well together.”
Professor Clouse?
Clouse oversees a pastry team of three at Parable. One day, he would like to teach pastry at the collegiate level. “I really enjoyed my educational experience, and so I want to give it back at some point in time,” he says. Although he’s had offers for jobs outside of Columbus, for now, he’s happy here. He hopes more people will start paying attention to the city’s culinary scene. “James Beard and Michelin and all that stuff, Columbus is quite often overlooked, but we shouldn’t be,” he says. “We have a lot of really, really great places here.”
SPEED ROUND
Aaron Clouse
Age: 30
Hometown: Sycamore, Ohio
Food/drink mentor: Richard Blondin, executive chef at the Refectory
What he enjoys cooking at home: a “farmers market flatbread” featuring seasonal vegetables, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar
Favorite soundtrack while baking: the soundtrack from the 2022 film “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Advice for industry newcomers: “Find your niche. It’s good to be well-rounded, but the way that the industry is going, if you have a category that you are phenomenal at, throw all of your energy into it.”
What’s something Columbus needs? more breakfast pastry shops
Podcast recommendation? Columbus’ own Spoon Mob