Nicole Coady
Finale
One Columbus Avenue, Boston
30 Dunster Street, Cambridge
No matter where you go for dinner in Boston, there is NO place better to finish off your meal and your evening than Finale.
From fresh and flavorful (and nutritious) fruit-based temptations to rich and sinful (though also arguably nutritious) chocolate extravaganzas, Finale has everything a sweet tooth could want. And if you are extra lucky, you may catch a glimpse of their masterful and creative executive pastry chef Nicole Coady behind the mirrored counter.
Matt’s Meals: How did you get into cooking?
Nicole Coady: I was raised on farms in West Virginia with really large gardens so exposed to really good food very early. I can remember picking strawberries, eating my grandmother’s heirloom tomatoes like apples and grapes, picking broccoli from the garden and on and on. They had full gardens but also had many, many types of fruit. I believe my palette developed from the exposure of growing up eating food the way it should taste. Both of my grandmothers and my mother loved to cook and were also very creative. They were always experimenting with something. Mixing and mingling flavors. I went to school for biology and then realized I didn’t want to teach or work on research. I loved science so pastry seemed like the right fit because it’s process driven and full of chemical reactions.
MM: Where was your first professional kitchen experience?
NC: I worked at the Cheat River Inn in Elkins, West Virginia. I worked under a chef that had worked with Norman Van Aken. I started in the savory world and then picked up desserts. I didn’t actually immerse myself in desserts until going to school at Johnson & Wales in South Carolina. Once I jumped into them, it seemed like the right fit!
MM: What is your favorite dish to prepare?
NC: Buttermilk biscuits with plum jam- Anything from my childhood
MM: What is the best part of your job?
NC: Training and working with the team members and playing in the kitchen
MM: Who is your favorite chef in Boston?
NC: Picking just one is really difficult but I’ve always enjoyed everything I’ve ever gotten at any of Barbara Lynch’s restaurants.
MM: What do you usually make for yourself at home?
NC: Gooey, fudgy brownies and a tall glass of milk.
MM: If you could dine with any three people, who would they be?
NC: Julia Child, the Dalai Lama, and Leonardo da Vinci.