Mykel Winterstine

Pastry Chef

Mykel grew up in a food family, that is, her maternal grandmother was a great baker and her mother loved to cook.  Prior to getting married, her mother tried to teach herself to cook by watching the only two culinary shows on TV in the 1960's - Julia Child and The Galloping Gourmet.  While Mykel's two sisters were in the playroom, Mykel was in the kitchen with her mother at the age of 2 "helping to cook."

Mykel's mom also baked bread and made her own sourdough starter before Mykel was born.  She eventually stopped baking bread but gifted the wonderful 50-year-old starter to Mykel who regards it and take care of it as a treasure.

By the age of 16, Mykel knew she wanted to work in a kitchen and attended The Culinary Institute of America in New York, where she earned a degree in Culinary Arts and Pastry certification.  She began her career at The Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., where she learned the intricacies of fine dining.  Chocolate making, showpieces, and plated desserts were her favorite part of her time there and probably began her addiction to chocolate molds.

In 2008, Mykel was part of the opening team at The Gaylord Hotel in National Harbor, Maryland and quickly worked her way up to Executive Pastry Sous Chef.  With 2000 rooms, seven outlets and 30 employees to oversee, she learned how to work under pressure.

In 2014, Mykel decded to round out her restaurant skills by working at Volt, Bryan Voltaggio's restaurant in Frederick, Maryland.  As a front of house captain, she learned about wine and fine dining service.  After five years, she was recruited to join The Punjab Grill, a fine dining Indian restaurant in Washington, D.C.  She began as a server, but when their pastry chef was unable to join the kitchen staff, Mykel was asked to be the pastry chef as well.  Punjab's chef, Jassi Bindra, taught her about spices and techniques of Pujabi cuisine, which she would later use at The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm.

Mykel joined The Patowmack team in 2021, falling in love with the farm to table experience.  The menu changes with the seasons, celebrating the food that is produced locally.  Her desserts use the beautiful fruits and flowers that grow on the farm.  Her bread and pizza dough are made with the same starter her mother began all those years ago.