ABOUT
Small Oven Pastries believes that pastries, no matter how fancy, deserve to be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere, anytime. We specialize in macarons, meringues & more, making our treats from scratch with an emphasis on local Vermont ingredients and seasonal flavors.
We are proud members of the Vermont Fresh Network, the Vermont Speciality Food Association, and the Shelburne Business and Professional Association.
We are proud to highlight local Vermont producers and artisans because supporting local means investing in our community.
about us
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Small Oven Pastries is operated out of Shelburne, Vermont, by Elizabeth Berman, chief confectioner and flavor master. Prior to establishing Small Oven Pastries, Elizabeth worked in higher education as an academic librarian, administrator, and faculty member in the UVM Food Systems Graduate Program. This unique background, coupled with training at the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts in Cambridge, MA, and lifelong wanderlust, is the foundation for her bold and creative exploration of flavors and her deep connection with the local foodscape.
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Elizabeth is supported by her husband Abe, head cheerleader, principal dishwasher and Master of Woo, and daughter Natalie, queen boss of quality control and delivery co-pilot.
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'Small oven' is the direct translation of the French term petit four. In the 18th century, chefs used wood and coal to fire their ovens, allowing very little temperature control. In the morning, the intense heat from the oven (grand four or 'big oven') was used to bake bread and roast meats. As the fire grew cooler at the end of the day, the oven was used for baking individual pastries à petit four ('at small oven' with low temperature). Today, these individual pastries are collectively known as petits fours and encompass a range of small confections that include macarons and meringues, tartlets, madeleines, and éclairs. Our name is a nod to the origins of these delicious treats.