Nathaniel Reid is the chef and owner of Nathaniel Reid Bakery in Kirkwood, Missouri. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris with a Grand Diploma in Culinary and Pastry Arts, Chef Reid worked in top pastry kitchens around the world, including Michelin 3-star restaurant, Joël Robuchon, in Las Vegas and the AAA Five Diamond St. Regis hotel in California.
Specializing in both contemporary and traditional baked goods with perfected European techniques, he is dedicated to the pastry craft and has earned accolades such as Dessert Professional Magazine’s Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America to Pastry Chef of the Year at the U.S. Pastry Competition. He now crafts the finest quality pastries, cakes, confections and sandwiches at Nathaniel Reid Bakery, which he opened in 2016 in his home state of Missouri.
Chef Reid started his career in hospitality after attending college at the University of Missouri, earning a degree in hotel and restaurant management. During his time in Columbia, he also spent a year learning the inner workings of a restaurant kitchen. He honed his skills as a chef from the pastry station as well as positions of garde manger and sauté cook. He continued his education with degrees in pastry arts and culinary arts from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. There, he also worked as a private chef and as a caterer for business events, private parties and other events.
Reid moved back stateside for a job as a pastry cook at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. From there, he accepted a position as a pastry sous chef at the esteemed Joël Robuchon. After Vegas, Reid accepted his first executive pastry chef position at the St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point, California, where he served for three years and excelled as a leader. There, he was responsible for all pastry, bakery, bread, specialty cakes, restaurant desserts, chocolate, ice cream and showpieces from conception to production.
He brought his experience from around the world back to Missouri in 2013, becoming the executive pastry chef at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis where he managed the pastry team and served on the corporate advisory team for the luxury brand. In 2014, he left the Ritz-Carlton to become a consulting chef, pastry chef and educator, sharing his knowledge with chocolatiers and pastry shops, teaching workshops and demonstrations for both professionals and students, alike, and working with Valrhona Chocolate and Sasa Demarle.
In August 2016, his longtime dream to own his pastry shop became a reality with the opening of Nathaniel Reid Bakery. With his namesake brand, Reid takes thoughtful consideration into every detail of the guest experience. Each guest is greeted with a friendly, professional welcome as they are guided through his carefully curated menu of pastries and confections. From the twelve flavors of macarons to the spellbinding specialty cakes to the perfectly executed croissants and French pastries, each offering showcases Reid’s care for quality ingredients and expert technique. He built his bakery to be a place for the community and, in just a short amount of time, it has become just that – a community bakery led by a man with a superior talent and even bigger heart.