The Beard Papa's Store That Went Rogue

A post shared by MonsterMunching (@monstermunching_oc) on Jun 16, 2018 at 11:07pm PDT

This is the creme brûlée cream puff from Beard Papa. It is not something you can get at any Beard Papa, because technically it is not an officially sanctioned product. Only one branch makes it--the Monterey Park one, which, for a lack of a better term, has gone rogue. They've veered off the company script and taken some liberties, because, let's face it, you can't run a profitable business with cream puffs alone.

What they've done--without getting permission or approval from the corporate office--is some creative, out-of-the-box menu departures. They've realized that they needn't relegate the crisp, light-as-air, freshly-baked choux pastry shell for only desserts. If waffles can sub in for sandwich bread, why not choux? And if it's to be a vessel for the savory, why not also do interesting fillings such as a house-made smoked salmon and avocado cream?

And since they're already thumbing their nose at the company charter, why not upgrade the standard Beard Papa's cream puff by lopping off the top, sprinkling it with sugar, then torching it to a glassy sheen? What results is an edible, real life incarnation of the Venn diagram for a cream puff and a creme brûlée.

So far, the corporate masters have not disciplined this franchise's owner and chef (who are, full disclosure, friends of mine). But I don't think they will. Besides, it would be good to remind Beard Papa's corporate who invented the Big Mac: a McDonald's franchisee who went rogue.

Beard Papa's
141 N Atlantic Blvd #106
Monterey Park, CA 91754

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