Illustration by Jonny Ruzzo
Haley Stewart, a pastry and catering chef for Moerlein Lager House, has been on a high in the baking world in recent months. After her pumpkin coffee cake doughnuts won her first place in Cincinnati Magazine’s Great Cincinnati Bake-Off last October, she then entered and won fifth place in “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro’s national “The Greatest Baker” contest. Since then, she’s taken the reins creating menus and leading her team through various Moerlein events. We talked to her about the success she’s found so far, what foodie experiences she’s brought to Cincinnati, and where her baking career is taking her next.
You originally went to school for sports broadcasting. How did you end up baking?
I took to it at a young age. My mom’s one rule was as long as you clean up after yourself, you can do whatever you want in the kitchen. I went to school at St. Louis University on an athletic scholarship and had no intention of going to culinary school, but during my time being a Division I athlete for field hockey, I got really sick, physically sick, but also really homesick. I came home and my parents suggested that I stay and learn how to cook. Cincinnati State has a really amazing culinary program, the Midwest Culinary Institute. I had no other thoughts about what I wanted to do and thought that maybe learning how to cook could help my health at the same time.
How did your work at the Moerlein Lager House lead you to a national baking competition?
I participated in Cincinnati Magazine’s Great Cincinnati Bake-Off; I entered into the doughnut category on a whim and then won. After that, I was randomly reached out to by somebody from “The Greatest Baker” suggesting that I apply. I started promoting it on my social media and Moerlein got behind me and started posting. I thought, “Wow, this is crazy, I’m first place in my group.” It was really overwhelming how many people that I didn’t even know were voting for me. I baked more than I probably have ever baked in my entire life.
Where’s your baking taken you since then?
Moerlein had six Fire & Ice dinners in February. I did all the food for those. It’s a three-course meal with hors d’oeuvres in the beginning. We almost sold out all six of them. It’s a lot of fun for me, the creativity side of it. When you work in a restaurant, a lot of times, you’re making the same thing every day, so it’s fun to get out of the mundane and come up with new stuff. Opening Day is the exact opposite. [Moerlein has] 950 seats and we are booked out the whole Opening Day weekend. We are just feeding as many people as possible. In April, we’re participating in Restaurant Week, and I put together our menu for that. It’s three courses for $45 which is a steal these days.
What’s next in your baking culinary career?
Since the baking competition ended, I’ve really leaned into the social media side of things. I am on Instagram (@haleychapline) and TikTok (@haleycstewart), posting a lot of recipes and trying to make videos of different local places that I visit every week and critique a little bit. I’ve really enjoyed getting out and making an effort to try new things, because Cincinnati always has something new going on. I really thrive on the creativity side of things, so I’ve tried to feature things that are relatable and not too expensive.
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