From a Ranch in Tecate to Grilling Desserts for the Pope
In a pastry industry known for its precision, controlled ovens, and European techniques, chef Bianca Castro-Cerio Trenti decided to ignite the charcoal and give desserts a different life: one of direct fire, wood, smoke, and surprise. Hailing from Mexicali, this pastry chef—who is also a historian, designer, and heir to an Italian-Mexican tradition—has conquered Mexico and abroad with grilled desserts.
“My grandmother was my teacher and my inspiration,” Bianca says, referring to the woman she worked with for 20 years, even when she was over 90. Together, they created a line of artisanal desserts with recipes dating back to 1905, which have evolved while retaining their roots. This connection to family tradition is the core of a career that has taken Bianca from the Mexican Grillers Society in Monterrey to literally cooking in the Vatican.
From Ranch Life to Mexican Mass with the Pope
Raised amidst vineyards, cattle, canned goods, and rustic ovens, Bianca learned from childhood that food is a collective act and ritual. “In the 80s, every weekend we’d gather 30 to 40 people at my bisabuela’s ranch. Kids cooked, helped… that’s where it all began.”
Life led her to try various careers until a gift box with keys and a letter from her mother told her it was time to be self-sufficient. The solution? Returning to baking, like her grandmother. Since then, she hasn’t stopped. With Hotel Araiza as her first client, her kitchen has grown to serve desserts for 7,000 people, cooked in coffins and Chinese boxes, for 12 hours at 57 degrees Celsius.
But nothing prepared her for what was to come: being invited to cook for 850 people in the Vatican and then delivering desserts directly to the Casa de Santa Marta, where the Pope resided. “I passed the Swiss Guard without knowing the Pope lived there. They told me after. I brought dates and sweet black olives. It was a transformative experience.”
The Alchemy of Smoke: Desserts Challenging the Sweet Norm
Bianca’s desserts are not what one expects. Instead of refined sugar, she uses seaweed or other sweeteners; in place of conventional merengues, she makes foam from prickly pear. Has she made a nopal cheesecake? Yes, she has. A smoked pineapple marinated with salt and chicatana? Also yes. For her, cooking is an exercise in improvisation: “Each city gives me different ingredients. I use cheeses, fruits, flowers—whatever’s available. I don’t replicate recipes; each dessert is unique and irrepetible.”
Her creativity found the perfect space in pairings. In Guadalupe Valley, for example, she served a lime nicuatole with mascarpone, smoked pineapple, and seaweed, accompanied by a white wine that accentuated the explosion of seaweed in the mouth. “For me, pastry is design; it’s drawing, assembling. It’s playing.”
A Flame That Never Dies
Despite competing in national and international BBQ championships—where she was the only Mexican woman among male grillers—Bianca remains faithful to homemade cooking, self-taught learning, and the memory of her grandmother. “She didn’t want collaborators. We did everything together. She left me not only recipes but a way of living the kitchen.”
Today, her work has become a bridge between generations, territories, and ingredients. Though she has favorite desserts—tiramisu, the 70s merengue pie, and flan—her greatest delight is creating flavors that no one has tasted before.
“I’m a shorty,” she laughs. “When I cook at the grill, I have to climb onto carbon bins to reach. But I always wear a uniform with the name of Mexico because I’m proud to represent my country, even in the sweetest ways,” she concludes.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who is Bianca Castro-Cerio Trenti? She is a Mexican pastry chef, historian, designer, and heir to an Italian-Mexican tradition who has revolutionized the pastry industry with her unique grilled desserts.
- What inspired Bianca’s culinary journey? Her grandmother, with whom she worked for 20 years, taught her the art of creating artisanal desserts with recipes dating back to 1905.
- How did Bianca’s career evolve? From working in a ranch in Tecate, she has grown to cook for 7,000 people and even prepare desserts for the Pope in the Vatican.
- What makes Bianca’s desserts unique? She uses unconventional ingredients like seaweed sweeteners, smoked fruits, and locally available produce to create one-of-a-kind desserts.
- How does Bianca view her role as a chef? She sees cooking as an exercise in improvisation and a way to represent her country through unique flavors.
