Chef Robb Stirrup

I am a professional chef with an extensive background in pastry, in addition to having experience with savory dishes as well.

I first started really getting into cooking when I was stationed in the Navy as a hobby and side project in my free time. Barbecue and cooking with fire is what initially piqued my interest into the culinary world, to which I decided to attend culinary school after my completion of service.

I graduated from the Oregon Culinary Institute in 2016 with degrees in both culinary restaurant management and baking and pastry management.

Upon completion of culinary school, I interned at Renata in Portland, Oregon, which at the time was named The Oregonian's Restaurant of the Year. There, I took over the role of lead pastry cook where I produced all of the seasonal Italian desserts, gelatos and sorbets for the restaurant in addition to morning pastries for the nearby Cafe. It was challenging to not have the experience working under a pastry chef, but during this time I became very meticulous about consistency, research, and numbers and ratios. Overall it helped form me into the chef I am today.

Since that time, I have been the Executive Pastry Chef, at Dame in Portland, Oregon where I helped completely overhaul and establish the pastry program, running it for close to three years before moving across the country to Portland, Maine in 2020.

In Maine, I took a brief break from restaurants to work at a mortgage company during COVID where I realized that I really missed the passion and creativity of cooking so I decided to start a side hustle on the weekends cooking southern and Tex-Mex food at breweries in the area.

In 2022, I was offered the opportunity to become the opening pastry chef at a new Japanese-inspired bichotan restaurant in the Old Port named Bar Futo. I built the dessert program from the ground up, which featured a Japanese shaved ice dessert called Kakigori.

In 2023, while working at Bar Futo, I had the opportunity to become the Executive Pastry Chef right across the street at an Italian restaurant named Via Vecchia. Here, I produced more than 300 seasonal desserts a week in addition to al la carte gelatos and sorbettos.

During the summer of 2024, I decided to leave Maine and move down south to experience the Appalachian region of the United States, and am currently in the Roanoke, Virginia area.

When it comes to pastry, I am well-versed in many different areas. I have experience in cakes, pies, custards, laminated doughs, ice cream, among others.

From the savory side, I have extensive experience in Italian and French cooking techniques and love making Tex-Mex/southwestern, southern soul, and barbecue.