BAKED FROM SCRATCH: Perfecting pastries

Chef Flemming's Bake Shop makes cookies, cakes and more every day

Clockwise from top, chef Flemming Pedersen decorates a cake at his bakery, Chef Flemming?s Bake Shop, at 7 Water. St. Chocolate eclairs and cannolis are among the goodies baked fresh every day. Pedersen pulls macaroons out of the oven.PHOTOS BY LAUREN ROMANO /VIEW LAUREN ROMANO/VIEWMegan Vescio measures ingredients for bread at Chef Flemming?s Bake Shop 7 Water St., on Jan. 13. Vescio is a culinary student at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Las Vegas. Clockwise from top, chef Flemming Pedersen decorates a cake at his bakery, Chef Flemming?s Bake Shop, at 7 Water. St. Chocolate eclairs and cannolis are among the goodies baked fresh every day. Pedersen pulls macaroons out of the oven.PHOTOS BY LAUREN ROMANO /VIEW Advertisement

Hours before most of us wake up each morning, chef Flemming Pedersen already is hard at work baking breads and pastries.

Pedersen said he doesn't mind the long hours, especially now that he's doing it for himself.

Chef Flemming's Bake Shop opened at 7 Water St. in September.

"We're a full-service bake shop," Pedersen said. "We do everything from wedding cakes to bread."

The pastry chef spent four years as an apprentice in his home country, Denmark. He said he had always wanted to cook, but he also loved to play soccer, which he did in the evenings, so the early hours that a pastry chef works was a perfect fit for him.

Although the bakery offers a variety of treats, including muffins, cookies, cream puffs, cupcakes, brownies and cannolis, there also are daily Danish specialties. Pedersen said that once a month, he celebrates his heritage with a Danish Day with Danish pastries and breads from northern Europe.

"I stay very busy," Pedersen said. "The challenge is to do everything myself and feature as many things as possible."

Pedersen spent almost 30 years working in 11 hotels in Las Vegas. His longest stint was for 16 years at the Golden Nugget. The chef said that when he moved to the valley from Atlanta, he had no plans to stay.

"I basically wanted to build up a great resume and I got caught up," he said. "It was a real challenge. Each hotel does things differently."

Pedersen said he got to expand his knowledge in pulled sugar, pastry, bread and chocolate work at the Golden Nugget.

The chef left the downtown Las Vegas property to teach at International Culinary School at the Art Institute.

"I love teaching," Pedersen said. "I love spreading my knowledge around, but I missed the hustle-bustle of the bakery."

The chef still teaches and has some of his students work in the bakery. Megan Vescio, a culinary student at the College of Southern Nevada, has been working with Pedersen for a few months to get practice.

"He's showing me new things all the time," she said. "I'm learning how to make a lot of the morning pastries and the Danish style of baking."

Vescio said Pedersen lets her try things for herself.

"It's important to just try stuff," Vescio said.

Pedersen said he tries to keep the prices down of the fresh items that are baked from scratch. Cakes range from $14 to up to $250, cupcakes are $1.50 each, and loaves of bread cost $2.65 to $4.

The chef can decorate cakes any way a customer requests with the help of his wife, Chere Pedersen, who is an artist.

"She can draw anything I need, and I have the talent to put it on the cake," Pedersen said.

Pedersen said he hopes the downtown Henderson redevelopment plans will move forward and that some of the planned building will take place.

"The community has been very supportive," he said. "Right now, we're just trying to get our family businesses off the ground."

Chere Pedersen said she's happy to work in the front of the shop but leaves the baking to her husband.

"I like to try everything," Chere said. "When he was working in hotels, he'd come home and tell me what he made all day. I'd say, 'Unless you have it in your pocket, don't tell me.' I never got to taste anything."

Chef Flemming's Bake Shop is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 .p.m. Saturday and closed on Sunday.

For information, e-mail flemming@flemmingsbakeshop.com or call 566-6500.

Pedersen participates in the "ChefClass" instructional cooking show on PBS Channel 10 at 10:30 a.m. every Saturday.

Contact Henderson View reporter Lauren Romano at lromano@viewnews.com or 477-3839.

Pedersen spent almost 30 years working in 11 hotels in Las Vegas. His longest stint was for 16 years at the Golden Nugget. The chef said that when he moved to the valley from Atlanta, he had no plans to stay.

"I basically wanted to build up a great resume and I got caught up," he said. "It was a real challenge. Each hotel does things differently."

Pedersen said he got to expand his knowledge in pulled sugar, pastry, bread and chocolate work at the Golden Nugget.

The chef left the downtown Las Vegas property to teach at International Culinary School at the Art Institute.

"I love teaching," Pedersen said. "I love spreading my knowledge around, but I missed the hustle-bustle of the bakery."

The chef still teaches and has some of his students work in the bakery. Megan Vescio, a culinary student at the College of Southern Nevada, has been working with Pedersen for a few months to get practice.

"He's showing me new things all the time," she said. "I'm learning how to make a lot of the morning pastries and the Danish style of baking."

Vescio said Pedersen lets her try things for herself.

"It's important to just try stuff," Vescio said.

Pedersen said he tries to keep the prices down of the fresh items that are baked from scratch. Cakes range from $14 to up to $250, cupcakes are $1.50 each, and loaves of bread cost $2.65 to $4.

The chef can decorate cakes any way a customer requests with the help of his wife, Chere Pedersen, who is an artist.

"She can draw anything I need, and I have the talent to put it on the cake," Pedersen said.

Pedersen said he hopes the downtown Henderson redevelopment plans will move forward and that some of the planned building will take place.

"The community has been very supportive," he said. "Right now, we're just trying to get our family businesses off the ground."

Chere Pedersen said she's happy to work in the front of the shop but leaves the baking to her husband.

"I like to try everything," Chere said. "When he was working in hotels, he'd come home and tell me what he made all day. I'd say, 'Unless you have it in your pocket, don't tell me.' I never got to taste anything."

The bakery is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 .p.m. Saturday and closed on Sunday.

For information, e-mail flemming@flemmingsbakeshop.com or call 566-6500.

Pedersen participates in the "ChefClass" instructional cooking show on PBS Channel 10 at 10:30 a.m. every Saturday.

Contact Henderson View reporter Lauren Romano at lromano@viewnews.com or 477-3839.