meet our pastry chef

The workday starts early for Ana De Lanoy, when the streets that lead to Stimulus are nearly empty and the sky is velvety dark. On go the bakery lights, the proofing box and the ovens. Then Ana begins two hours of full-steam-ahead baking. Outside her kitchen window, the morning sun turns the clouds a rosy pink, as surfers and dory boats appear on the shore to scout the early waves. By 6 a.m., Ana and her staff will have baked a full display case of Beach Buns, buttery brioche, scones, muffins, Danishes, bagels, and sandwich breads—all warm and waiting for the day’s first customers.

Ana, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University and formerly a pastry cook at The Allison Inn, grew up watching her father, also a pastry chef, create spectacular goodies in the family kitchen. Now she creates her own signature items for Stimulus, including the decadent and popular Cinnamon Bliss. “I like seeing the finished product and seeing people enjoy it,” Ana says, “knowing that I did something that made someone happy.”