Mar 14, 2016 | By Alec

First generation food 3D printers are especially aimed at bakers and chefs who want to add unique geometric shapes to their dishes, but who says they can’t also use regular 3D printers already? Sugarcube Dessert & Coffee, a new bakery in Queens, NY, has begun using 3D printed molds to create unique desserts – with the molds being inspired by architectural standards. Combined with unique flavors, the baker hopes to give visitors a whole new eating experience.

It’s quite a remarkable bakery, as its founder Peter Zaharatos is actually a veteran architect. Having cherished a sweet tooth for years, he recently finally made his dream come true by opening dessert and coffee bar Sugarcube – located at 10-16 50th Avenue in Long Island City, for those in the neighborhood. He also previously taught architecture classes at New York City College of Technology, and was the lead architect on the Second Avenue Subway project and the College Point Police Academy. But together with Sugarcube's executive pastry chef Mauricio Santelice, he has been offering truly remarkable and mouth-watering desserts for about a month now.

But as he explains to reporters, this is more than a business venture. In part, he was looking for a new platform to explore shapes and chocolate, while he also felt that locals were missing the unique flavors from his native Greece. “There’s a great coffee culture in Greece,” Zaharatos said. “And for anyone who’s been there similar to what happens in Italy … basically dessert and coffee in general becomes an event at night.” One of pastry chef Santelice’s best known dishes is the Don Huevo dessert creation ― a white chocolate egg, drizzled with warm caramel and horchata ice cream. The bakery also produces all desserts in house, with a mouthwatering selection of Greek-inspired dishes, including Greek yogurt strawberry gelato made with Greek honey. Other key Greek ingredients, like Greek pisachios and masthia sap, are also frequently used.

But this article isn’t just about delicious deserts, but about 3D printing. Zaharatos is one of the few bakers in the world to use 3D printing, and many of his creations have come out of projects for clients; one of the first involved making 3D models for deserts. Since then, that has grown to include all sorts of cubes and geometric shapes – all shaped in 3D printed molds. “Sugar cube is part of my sort of architectural background but also the idea of three different directions and kind of combining them ― very small bite size, in an individual size and in the cold form,” he tells local reporters.

As such, their menu is constantly expanding and changing, with Zaharatos and Santelice constantly working on new ideas with the help of their 3D printer. In fact, Zaharatos’ brother runs the 3D design company Arxis League, and helps them with CAD work and 3D printing. Through a series of molds, they’ll quickly find fun unique geometric shapes that really add another dimension to their desserts.

Though the two worlds seem entirely separated, Zaharatos’ approach has convinced him that there are significant similarities to be found between architecture and baking. “Pastry chefs are very similar to architects because they’re building and structuring things,” he explained. “[They’re] combining very minuscule proportions in ingredients and they’re making things that actually have to stand and hold shapes.” Most importantly, the results look delicious and very inviting.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Application

 

 

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