Meet the Culinary Force Behind the Park Cities Bakery’s Killer Croissants, Kouign-Amann, and Salted Cookies
Chef Jill Bates, once the right hand of culinary legend Dean Fearing, has one goal these days: the creation of the perfect croissant. The six dozen she sells out of by 3 pm on any given Saturday should be proof she’s on the right track. Still, the pastry savant is up at 4 am, kneading, rolling, and laminating dough for the early-morning crowd at Sugar & Sage on Dallas’ Lovers Lane.
“I want to master it. I’m going to win this,” she says.
Sugar & Sage founders Alison and Ashley Weinstein had interviewed several candidates for executive pastry chef for their neighborhood bakery and coffee shop, which opened in the spring. But Bates’ salted chocolate chip cookie helped seal the deal.
“Jill has been revered in the industry since her coming of age through the Dallas culinary market,” Alison says. “She’s the reason for the buzz here.”
Texas roots means a cheddar, cream cheese, and roasted jalapeño Danish was up for grabs the day I visited — the sweet and salty combo emblematic.
The bakery is a go-to among University Park families, who lounge on the turf-covered patio with strollers. That’s what Sugar & Sage is all about: community, ease, and, of course, taste.
