Jaceleen Latin-Kasper
Executive Pastry Chef & Owner, Batches
Milwaukee native Jaceleen Latin-Kasper is a self-taught baker who found her professional calling as a pastry chef through art and family tradition. While studying Art History at the University of Minnesota, Latin-Kasper spent her free time reading cookbooks and baking at home, a hobby she enjoyed since her childhood days in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother.
After her time in school, Latin-Kasper returned to Milwaukee and took a job in guest services and event planning at the iconic Pfister Hotel where she learned the ins and outs of hospitality. To satisfy her craving for creativity, Latin-Kasper continued to bake and ultimately decided to pursue a culinary career in pastry.
In 2011, she began working at Charro for the SURG Restaurant Group (Carnevor, Distil, MiKey’s and HOM). Shortly after joining the team, renowned pastry chef Kurt Fogle was brought on to develop the group’s pastry program and quickly promoted Latin-Kasper to Pastry Sous Chef. The French-trained Fogle became a mentor to Latin-Kasper, teaching her the essentials of French pastry. After four years, she was elevated to the Corporate Pastry Chef position for the group. While honing her craft, Latin-Kasper found her niche creating desserts that are rustic and familiar, grounded in French technique. With a desire to push herself, Latin-Kasper spent a year working both for SURG and as a Pastry Chef at Hinterland (2013 – 2014) where she met chefs and her future partners Dan Van Rite and Dan Jacobs.
In 2016, Latin-Kasper joined Van Rite and Jacobs to open Chinese-American restaurant, DanDan. There, she develops seasonal dessert menus that feature her own Midwestern and whimsical take on traditional Chinese desserts. Latin-Kasper also served as the opening pastry chef for DanDan’s sister concept, EsterEv, which offers an intimate fine-dining tasting menu experience on weekends only. After a year of overseeing both pastry programs, Latin-Kasper shifted focus to only helm DanDan and plan for her future project.
In early 2018, Latin-Kasper will return to her roots in home baking as Executive Chef and Owner of Batches, a classic American bakery located across the street from DanDan. Batches will offer sweet and savory pastries (including vegan and gluten free items), a full coffee program and various to-go breakfast and lunch items. With the opening of Batches, Latin-Kasper hopes to flex her creative muscle and further explore her interest in the great American dessert catalogue.
Latin-Kasper lives in the Bayview neighborhood of Milwaukee with her husband and three year old daughter who most definitely inherited her sweet tooth. Jaceleen Latin-Kasper
Executive Pastry Chef & Owner, Batches
Milwaukee native Jaceleen Latin-Kasper is a self-taught baker who found her professional calling as a pastry chef through art and family tradition. While studying Art History at the University of Minnesota, Latin-Kasper spent her free time reading cookbooks and baking at home, a hobby she enjoyed since her childhood days in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother.
After her time in school, Latin-Kasper returned to Milwaukee and took a job in guest services and event planning at the iconic Pfister Hotel where she learned the ins and outs of hospitality. To satisfy her craving for creativity, Latin-Kasper continued to bake and ultimately decided to pursue a culinary career in pastry.
In 2011, she began working at Charro for the SURG Restaurant Group (Carnevor, Distil, MiKey’s and HOM). Shortly after joining the team, renowned pastry chef Kurt Fogle was brought on to develop the group’s pastry program and quickly promoted Latin-Kasper to Pastry Sous Chef. The French-trained Fogle became a mentor to Latin-Kasper, teaching her the essentials of French pastry. After four years, she was elevated to the Corporate Pastry Chef position for the group. While honing her craft, Latin-Kasper found her niche creating desserts that are rustic and familiar, grounded in French technique. With a desire to push herself, Latin-Kasper spent a year working both for SURG and as a Pastry Chef at Hinterland (2013 – 2014) where she met chefs and her future partners Dan Van Rite and Dan Jacobs.
In 2016, Latin-Kasper joined Van Rite and Jacobs to open Chinese-American restaurant, DanDan. There, she develops seasonal dessert menus that feature her own Midwestern and whimsical take on traditional Chinese desserts. Latin-Kasper also served as the opening pastry chef for DanDan’s sister concept, EsterEv, which offers an intimate fine-dining tasting menu experience on weekends only. After a year of overseeing both pastry programs, Latin-Kasper shifted focus to only helm DanDan and plan for her future project.
In early 2018, Latin-Kasper will return to her roots in home baking as Executive Chef and Owner of Batches, a classic American bakery located across the street from DanDan. Batches will offer sweet and savory pastries (including vegan and gluten free items), a full coffee program and various to-go breakfast and lunch items. With the opening of Batches, Latin-Kasper hopes to flex her creative muscle and further explore her interest in the great American dessert catalogue.
Latin-Kasper lives in the Bayview neighborhood of Milwaukee with her husband and three year old daughter who most definitely inherited her sweet tooth.
Linda Thai
Pastry Chef, EsterEv | Pastry Sous Chef, DanDan and Batches
Interested in the arts from a young age, Linda Thai found a creative outlet in baking and decided to pursue her passion at Milwaukee Area Technical College for Baking and Pastry Arts. There, she honed her classical French technique adding a signature whimsical touch wherever she could.
Upon graduation, Thai joined SURG Restaurant Group under renowned pastry chef Kurt Fogle and learned the ins and outs of pastry development and execution. While at SURG Restaurant Group, Thai met fellow pastry chef Jaceleen Latin-Kasper. The two forged a lasting friendship and together joined the opening team of DanDan, the Chinese-American concept owned by chefs Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, to oversee the pastry program. DanDan’s fine dining sister concept, EsterEv, opened in 2016 and Thai joined the team as pastry sous chef under Latin-Kasper’s leadership.
In late 2017, Thai was promoted to pastry chef of EsterEv where she currently creates the inventive dessert program for the weekly changing tasting menu. In addition to her work at EsterEv, Thai still holds her position as pastry sous chef at DanDan where she assists in seasonal menu development and day-to- day kitchen operations.
In February 2018, Thai and Latin-Kasper opened Batches, the classic American bakery located across the street from DanDan and EsterEv. As pastry sous chef Thai develops recipes for the sweet and savory baked goods including breakfast pastries, cookies, cakes and house-made candy bars.
Thai’s deft hand and creativity have allowed her to juggle the three vastly different concepts. She enjoys the artistic freedom and strives to deliver delicious and unique desserts for all guests to enjoy. When not in the kitchen, the 25-year- old Milwaukee native can be found thrifting for vintage cookie jars around the city.