MEET THE CHEF CREATING PASTRY PERFECTION AT LUNA RESTAURANT

Taylor Siok says he always been interested in food and creative minded. But, what really sparked his interest in food, specifically pastries, was a trip to Germany as a teenager. He was traveling to visit a foreign exchange student that lived with his family in Spokane. The family would pick up fresh, amazing pastries for breakfast each morning and he fell in love with that concept and wanted to create them himself. This experience inspired him to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York and the rest is history.

He knew from the get-go that he loved desserts so he found a program that focused specifically on that. Originally he thought he wanted to do wedding cakes, but eventually changed his mind and found his passion for pastries.

After graduation, he went to work at restaurant Daniel in Manhattan, which at the time was one of the top 50 restaurants in the world! After his time at Daniel, Siok decided to move back to Spokane to help Jeremy Hansen open his bakery, Common Crumb. After spending some time doing that, he decided to come to Luna in 2015 and he has been making waves with their desserts and pastries ever since!

Chef Taylor Siok was drawn to Luna by the new owners, Aaron and Hannah. “They had similar visions and the timing was great. The space is beautiful and I wanted to work with them” Siok said. They gave him the freedom to do what he wanted and he thrived. Since then, he has completely changed the pastry program at Luna. Before Taylor arrived, the desserts at Luna were overly sweet and overly sized. Siok came in and slowly started to implement his own recipes, rolling out a couple of desserts until the entire dessert menu was his own.

Taylor says that the bread-making at Luna is a “labor of love”. It’s a 2-3 day process and he makes it fresh daily. The Luna loaf is $7. You can stop in early or call ahead to make sure they have enough if you want to take a loaf home, or just come in for a meal and try some as an appetizer.

Is there a chef you admire the most? Why?

Chef Francisco Migoya.

“He has had the biggest influence on me. I worked for a bakery on campus in culinary school and he was the chef there. He has an exact, precise style where everything is structured, clean, and organized. Even with the simple things, he makes you feel like this is what you have to do, it’s not a choice. He really instilled the importance of paying attention to the details.”

What set of skills or characteristics do you have that you think set you apart?

Chef Taylor Siok is extremely passionate about what he does. He goes the extra mile to seek out the best ingredients and he puts in the time to make amazing pastries. He goes through A LOT of trial and error when creating new recipes and he doesn’t let mistakes slip by.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

“I like to barbecue, I workout a lot (to counteract all the pastry eating), hang out with my dog, Evee, and recent fiancé. Home improvement takes a lot of my time and I spend a lot of time in Perry, since I live nearby.”

Where do you like to eat around Spokane?

Perry Street Brewery and South Perry Pizza.

Vien Dong before they closed. Ruins, Itallia Trattoria, Central Food.

Do you have a signature dish?

“I am most proud of my macarons”.

What can we expect from Luna?

“Our Summer menu just came out featuring new desserts.”

He’s very excited about the Passion Fruit Baked Alaska and loves incorporating seasonal ingredients. Other seasonal desserts right now include the Lemon Poppyseed Donuts, Berry Crumble (using strawberries and raspberries from their garden), Orange Cheesecake, Chocolate Brûlée, Vanilla Brownie Gelato.

Of course, you can always try their Coconut Cake 2.0 and more gelato flavors.

What is your favorite thing on the menu at your restaurant?

Besides his baked Alaska, he loves the weekend brunch Eggs Benedict. Also he’s currently loving the lunch Salmon entree.

You’re on death row, what would your last meal be?

Let’s start with dessert, I’d want a mountain of macarons (citrus flavor – lemon, passionfruit). Then, I’d want an 11 course meal from Eleven Madison Park.

If you were on a deserted island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?

1. Something to listen to podcasts on. Current favorite podcast: Planted Money, Radio Lab, Joe Rogan Podcast.

2. A Tent

3. A Fishing Pole

What is your favorite cereal?

Grape Nut Flakes. I eat them every day. Sometimes I’ll add berries if I’m feeling fancy.