A Passion for Pastry: One Local Chef’s Culinary Journey

With over 40 years of experience, numerous culinary awards and a passion for teaching the art of pastry making, Executive Pastry Chef Michael Ostrander has transformed Sweet Caroline’s bakery in Palm Harbor into an upscale pastry shop and learning facility.

This full service, one of a kind bakery provides an old-time feel to the community it serves. Specializing in traditional pastries, breads, European-style desserts and cakes everything is made from scratch and nothing is out of the question. “Customers are always welcome to suggest their favorites,” said Ostrander.

Ostrander says quality is never compromised at Sweet Caroline’s. “When it comes to quality, costs doesn’t matter,” said Ostrander who lives by and instructs his students to never purchase pre-made items, to take their time when baking and to bake from the heart.

Supporting local schools, Sweet Caroline’s utilizes and trains interns who have a passion for the industry and as an added bonus they offer core baking classes to the public which are taught by Ostrander himself on specific Sundays throughout the year. These classes include learning the art of Italian pastries, cookies, gluten-free desserts, cake baking, bread and summer desserts. Specialized classes can also be customized for groups that are interested.

Ostrander began his culinary career in 1968 at a vocational school in Middlesex, NJ when he was only 15. He continued in the U.S. Army where he taught baking at the U.S. Army Capital Foodservice Headquarters in Ft. Lee, VA. His culinary journey led him overseas to Europe for six years under the VII Corporate Headquarters Foodservice Team and then to the Ft. Dix, NJ baking school for an additional three years.

Continuing with his culinary career after leaving the military, Ostrander had the opportunity to work as the Executive Pastry Chef for numerous upscale hotels and resorts throughout the U.S. which included the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando; the Beverly Hills Hilton; Resorts International Casino Hotel & Showboat Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ; Turnberry Isle Hotel & Country Club in Adventura, FL; and the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami, FL.

In addition to providing his talents to top ranking hotels and resorts, Ostrander also owned a bakery café in the San Diego area, and consulted such properties as the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, CA; the Trop World Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ and Donald Trump’s Mar a Largo Club in Palm Beach, FL.

Ostrander has had the opportunity to showcase his baking talents for many notable individuals over the years including Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, and celebrities Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Julia Child, Michael Douglas, Don Rickles, Mick Jagger and Johnny Carson.

Ostrander has taught pastry-making at several prestigious culinary art schools including Johnson and Whales University in Providence, RI, the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, CA, and The Academy of Culinary Arts in Atlantic City, NJ.

“I am so inspired when teaching students that have a passion for baking and who enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience,” said Ostrander.