Derrick Flynn
Este and Suerte | Austin
NOVEMBER 2023
Growing up in Beeville, Texas, Derrick Flynn had originally planned on going into dermatology. But when he cooked his family’s Thanksgiving dinner his senior year of high school, he had an “aha” moment: cooking for others brought him joy like nothing he had experienced before. He applied to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, and moved down to New York City where he picked up a pastry gig at the now shuttered Park Avenue Cafe, doubling down on classic technique.
After graduating, he moved back to Texas, this time to Austin, where he was hired at La Condesa under his pastry mentor, Laura Sawicki, and his friendship with future boss Fermín Nuñez, who was sous chef at the time, began. In his first taste of a non-brigade-style kitchen, Flynn saw the symbiotic relationship between the pastry and savory departments, and learned to harness the power and quality of local produce. After a few stints at Austin staples like Swift’s Attic and Juniper, Flynn reconnected with Nuñez and was tapped to run the pastry programs at Este and Suerte. Flynn sees a lot of flavor crossover between the Filipino flavors he grew up with and the restaurants’ contemporary Mexican lens. He looks for inspiration from his cooks as well, developing whimsical and balanced desserts for each of the group's concepts, like his pastel de elote with honey-roasted peaches, hazelnuts, and brown butter crema that he serves at Este.
