Chef Q & A: Mark Thomas Beatty

Mark Thomas Beatty

Chef Patisserie/Owner

Black Truffle Chocolates & Bakery

688 Bald Eagle Drive

Phone: 394-7979. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday.

Began working at present restaurant?

We've been here five years, been through and survived two hurricanes and lost our roof during one of them.

Who or what inspired you to become a chef/cook?

I've always love food, and I was lucky because when I was growing up my family traveled, and my parents brought me along when they dined at the best restaurants in Europe and the United States and I thought I want to go back and do the same thing.

What was your first restaurant job?

Here on the Island at the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort's restaurants peeling shrimp — by hand — in the kitchen. Then, weekends at the Eagle's Nest food service, and then also at Konrad's — not necessarily in the same order or on the same days!

How long have you been cooking professionally?

Since I was 13. If you want to do the math, I've been doing it for 18 whole years.

Do food trends affect your cooking style?

If you mean do we use the best and freshest ingredients, then yes, we're trying to follow the trend toward organic. Remember, you can take the best chocolate and mix cheap stuff into it and there you are!

Are you planning changes to your menu for the new season?

Yes. Here and there we plan on incorporating new things into our present signature items offered for sale in our retail bakery. Of course, we're au courant for our custom order creations such as special occasion cakes for birthdays and anniversaries as well as designer wedding cakes.

What is your most popular item?

Probably our most popular dessert is our 22-pound Dark Chocolate Cake that we sell in individual portion sizes from a 3-inch cut to an 8-inch cut. But actually for a cake, it's our Dome Cake, a decadent dark chocolate mousse with orange crème brulee inside that covered with chocolate glaze. Then, no one can surpass my scones. Of course, I'm Irish so they're the best. Every day a different flavor from cranberry and golden raisins to lemon ginger and so on. There are limitless combinations to be created.

What is your favorite wine/food?

I don't drink, and I'm a real steak and potatoes kind of guy.

Do you cook at home? If so, what would we always find in your pantry?

I do, because I love to do everything but dessert — because I usually steal one from here in our display case.

What is your secret ingredient? Why?

The secret to any ingredient is making sure it's impeccably fresh and the best quality available.


Probably the same business as my brother: He likes anything to do with numbers, and numbers are also in my head and genes because our father was an economist.

What annoys you most in the kitchen?

Not getting stuff ready on time — it's an obligation. Conceptually, time annoys me because there's never enough of it.

What do you enjoy most about your profession?

There's a lot to like such as creativity being freedom. The difference between me and a chef is that I have a greater freedom to create what I wish.