Creativity and pride are the chief ingredients folded into every pastry and dessert Pastry Chef Debbie Krantz prepares daily for the residents of Vi at Silverstone, in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

There is, for example, her lemon meringue ice cream pie, with its graham cracker crust, fresh made lemon ice cream, and meringue topping. Then there’s her warm brioche bread pudding – laced with cranberry and currants swirls and coddled in creme anglaise. And let’s not forget her ever popular sticky toffee pudding.
“You want to be proud of what you are making,” said Krantz, who along with her assistant make all of the breakfast, lunch and dinner pastries and desserts from scratch. “We strive for high quality in everything we make.” 

Finding her passion
Krantz’s professional journey began as a child growing up in Ohio, where she and her mother would stand side by side in the kitchen making cookies, brownies, cakes, and flans. “I always liked to bake,” she said. 

In 2003, she took a “leap of faith,” as she and her husband Jason moved to Arizona, so she could enroll in the Scottsdale Culinary Institute’s pastry program. “As soon as I started I loved it, and I knew it was the right decision,” she said.

After completing the program and working at a number of high end kitchens across the Phoenix area, Krantz heard about the pastry chef opening at Vi at Silverstone. Jeff Weston, Executive Chef at the north Scottsdale senior living community, recalls when he met Krantz for the first time, and knowing immediately she was the right fit. 

“Debbie is very talented and very flexible,” said Chef Weston. “Whether it’s baking staples like fruit pies, or cookies, special holiday fare, or even reduced sugar treats, she is really great at tailoring recipes for our residents, and dialing in on flavors that residents will enjoy.”

Curating Unique Desserts
For Krantz, working at Vi gives her the ability to create unique desserts and to consistently try new recipes. 

One of her outside-the-box specialties is flavored ice creams. “It is one of the few things in pastry where you can kind of wing it,” she said. “Typically in pastry everything is measured specifically and accurately and if it is not it does not come out right. With ice cream and sorbet there is more room to play with it.”
Indeed, for Krantz, dessert is never boring at Vi at Silverstone.

“The fun thing about working at Vi is you are doing a little bit of everything,” said Krantz. “You are not just decorating cakes, or just doing cookies all day. It is a variety of things from morning to evening. And we are constantly trying to change things – it definitely does not get boring.”