Kaitlin Guerin, a New Orleanian pastry chef, celebrates king cake season from January to March with innovative takes on this traditional pastry. Known for her unique flavor combinations, such as rosemary pecan praline and chocolate with candy orange, Guerin emphasizes the cake's community-driven history, rooted in both Catholic and pagan traditions linked to Mardi Gras and Twelfth Night. The king cake, adorned in vibrant colors of green, gold, and purple, symbolizes the spirit of togetherness, as it is shared among friends and family during this festive period in New Orleans and beyond.
We all need something to remind us of why it's important that we come together. The history of the cake is centered around community, and people coming together around sweet food is something I find beautiful.
The cake takes its origins from both Catholic and pagan traditions, and is associated with Twelfth Night or Three Kings Day, a celebration just after Christmas that marks the Epiphany.
In the U.S., king cake is interwoven with Mardi Gras, a celebration marking the start of Lent, and, in New Orleans, distinguished by the colors green, gold, and purple.
Having trained in kitchens in Copenhagen and California, Guerin, a native New Orleanian, is known for her more experimental takes on the green, gold, and purple-sprinkled pastry.
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