Lauren Breneman
Coquine | Portland, OR
APRIL 2018
Lauren Breneman spent her childhood in Ohio and Michigan and picked up baking as a hobby in high school. Before graduating, she decided that cooking was a more practical outlet for her artistic inclinations and forewent art school in New York to study baking and pastry at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont.
Upon graduation, Breneman made her way to Boston where she found her first mentor in Pastry Chef Lauren Moran while working at Sel de la Terre. Both Moran and Breneman moved on to work at Eastern Standard with Breneman as pastry sous chef. When it was time to leave Boston, she looked west to a city not far from where she grew up. In Chicago, Breneman held a pastry sous chef position while working at Perennial Virant with mentor Paul Virant, from whom she learned when to push boundaries and when to get back to basics.
In 2015, Breneman moved to Portland, Oregon, and for two years, she served as pastry chef of Naomi Pomeroy’s landmark restaurant, Beast. During this time, Breneman and her partner John Boisse founded the popup Astral—inspired by their experiences and inspirations. In fall 2017, Breneman joined the team at fellow Rising Star Chef Katy Millard’s Coquine, where she oversees savory and sweet pastries, in addition to composed desserts across breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
