Orange & Blossom
Specialty Food Artisan
Products
About
Orange & Blossom is a modern American dessert company founded by pastry chef Marisa Kroes. Our mission is to create unique and seasonally inspired desserts and pastries that support and improve our local food economy and the environment. We use only whole, plant-based foods, and are deeply committed to nourishing our bodies, community, and planet. Our desserts and pastries are made by hand and from scratch, right here in Portland, Oregon. Our menu is inspired by the farms' bounty, rooted in the seasons, and made with organic produce and ingredients sourced directly from local farmers and makers whenever possible. We find inspiration for our menu from our travels, local farms, years of working in restaurants, and our West Coast roots.
Programs and Partners
Location
Portland, OR
Manager
As a self-proclaimed chocoholic by the age of ten, it was evident from an early age that I was destined for a career in food. I attended the California Culinary Academy’s Baking and Pastry Arts program in San Francisco, CA and went on to spend the greater part of the next fifteen years making, eating, talking, and thinking about food. While I love all food, baking is at the heart of my passion. My work has primarily focused on high-end restaurant pastry programs, where I’ve spent that last seven years running high-volume dessert programs, developing seasonal menus, honing my craft, and deepening my passion for sustainable food systems. Along the way, I prioritized working for restaurants and chefs that shared my vision for sustainability. As a result, I was able to grow my own herbs, harvest my own honey, shop at farmers’ markets, and along the way, developed meaningful relationships with local farmers and makers. These experiences, created a deep passion for ingredient-driven baking and the importance of supporting our local food economy.
Prior to moving to Portland, I was the Executive Pastry Chef at the James Beard Award-winning restaurant, Slanted Door in San Francisco. This past Fall I was the Consulting Pastry Chef for Portland-based Sustainable Restaurant Group where I developed a new dessert menu for all five Portland-based Bamboo Sushi restaurants and their six out of state locations. I moved to Portland last February to be with my partner and because the beauty and abundance of the Pacific Northwest have always felt like home.
I founded Orange & Blossom because I wanted to create a line of high-end desserts that promoted a truly sustainable food system with no compromises. O&B’s mission is to create unique and seasonally inspired desserts and pastries that support and improve our local food economy and the environment. I’ve been plant-based for almost fifteen years so it was only natural that my desserts would be plant-based too. I can’t wait to share my desserts with Portland and be a part of the local Farmers Market community.
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