Got a sweet tooth? Allow us to introduce you to your New Best Friend. Jared Melamed, the talent behind Joburg’s most seriously sumptuous patisserie.
Jared Melamed is a walking contradiction. He has slummed it in the Thai jungle, then lapped up luxury in Singapore’s Orchard Road. He’s captivated by the smells, taste and buzz of food markets, but delights in sitting down to white tablecloth service and foie gras. He blasts hardcore techno while delicately crafting the kind of French pastries that are to be savoured one small mouthful at a time.
Those nuances, he maintains, are what have made him as a chef, in spite of receiving no formal training. “There’s something in my head that no school could have given me; something I have gained from 17 years of travelling and tasting in 50 different countries.”
Yes – that’s 50 countries, many of which were obscure islands, where Jared worked as a professional diver to fund his love of culinary experiences. It all started when, as a 16-year-old, he packed himself off to Ibiza – without his parents’ permission. “I cried as soon as I arrived. Imagine being a teenager, completely alone in a country where you don’t speak the language.” Three months later, and Jared was lunching like a local. The markets of Barcelona held him in thrall … the sweets, the meat hanging from hooks, the buzz, the money changing hands, the shoppers smiling. He knew that this was the life he wanted, so although, as a non-conformist, he had never enjoyed school, he headed home to finish up his education and start real life.
What followed was a whirlwind of visa runs, passport stamps, stints in eateries around the world and eating experiences that have honed his palate in the most remarkable way. One stands out in particular: “I was visiting one of Singapore’s hawker markets, where you’ll find everything from food made by home cooks to dishes prepared by Michelin-ranked professionals. I spent four hours just walking around, trying everything I could … the milk tea, the chai tea, laksa, the fishes, the meat, food from India, China, even Italy – I must have eaten from around 80 per cent of the vendors. And it was all wonderful. That’s when I realized that food isn’t just there to fill you up – eating those dishes made me feel emotionally full. It didn’t matter if the food was good, bad or ugly, it had been prepared by someone who believed it to be special. And that made it special to me.”
The last stop on Jared’s wanderings was Thailand, where he had set up a business specialising in concierge services – until Covid’s closed borders brought the tourism industry to a halt. He decided it was time to head back to South Africa and take the first steps towards opening the patisserie he had dreamed about since childhood.
Like much else in Jared’s life, the road to this destination was a winding one. First, he spent time at an Italian restaurant, where his irresistible attraction to the pastry section proved that he was right on track. “I used to experiment with pastries I’d tasted overseas. My favorite was a brioche cake I had tried in Vietnam … I used to go to the same coffee shop every day just to eat it. At first, the owner disliked me because I was a tourist, but we became friends and, after four months of asking for the recipe every day, she finally wrote it down on a slip of paper.”
After plenty of trial and a lot of experimentation, and the anticipated opening of an eatery that didn’t quite work out, Jared decided that there was no more time to waste. La Tarte was launched eight months ago as a dark kitchen with just one other employee. Today, the team comprises three people who bake up to 700 pastries every weekend to satisfy customers at markets like La Marche, Prison Break and the Morningside Market, in addition to the patisserie they supply to boutique hotels, restaurants and coffee shops.
It’s been an exciting journey, but Jared is counting down the months until he “turns bricks and mortar”. He has in mind the type of experience offered by the Ritz in Paris, his favorite city … picture shelves lined with beautiful jars of confiture, crusty breads on the comptoir (counter), pastries that are a delight both to look at and to taste, and the fresh, clean smell of baking swirling through the air. “In France, every adult and child is familiar with the concept of goutè – a little treat you enjoy in the late afternoon. That’s why there are so many patisseries throughout France: people are accustomed to picking up a small snack before dinner. I’d love to introduce the culture of goutè in South Africa.” This will be no ordinary coffee shop, however: it will be an authentic salon du thè, where patrons can indulge in the type of patisserie, croissants and breads you would find in the very best French boulangeries.
Until then, he’s intensely focused on creating tastes that South Africans previously haven’t had the privilege of experiencing. Lucky us!
Instagram: @latarte_patisserie
Text: LISA WITEPSKI • Images: Nicky Barber, @delishmonster.
