While Malika Ameen is a Chicago pastry chef, restaurant consultant and mother of three, she is also one of 12 contestants on Bravo's hottest new series, Top Chef: Just Desserts. Malika is passionate about beautiful, delicious food. She's obsessed with using only the finest ingredients and is a master at finding the whisper of spice that will enhance her unique flavor combinations. "I believe that spice should be used to compliment flavor . . . never dominate or overpower." says Malika. From simple sea salt and vanilla bean to organic lavender, Malika believes that a hint of spice is what makes her dessert creations . . . memorable.
With many years of fine dining restaurant experience and knowing what flavor combinations strike a rich cord on dessert menus, Malika has created her own indulgent cookie collection called, byMdesserts Couture Cookies. Adored by the who's who of Hollywood, they are sophisticated, decadent and of the highest quality . . . definitely not your grandma's cookies. From Chocolate Truffle to Brown Sugar Shortbread with Lemon Lavender Glaze, each cookie selection showcases her unique understanding of spices and her creativity. In addition, Malika is a consultant helping restaurants and chefs design their ideal dessert menus.
Malika was raised in a food-focused home where family dinners were prepared from scratch each day. Dinner provided an opportunity to share the day's events and became a full family discussion about the meal and what could be improved upon. "I'll treasure those memories forever and hope to pass this family tradition on to my children, says Malika.
Malika's father was her biggest fan and the driving force behind her culinary dreams and aspirations . . . Sadly, he passed away in 2009. "It is his love and positive words that I carry with me every single day as I work toward my goals."
From attending New York's Institute of Culinary Education and the French Culinary Institute, to working with an array of renowned pastry chefs, Malika has had a stellar background of culinary training.
In 2007, Malika left Los Angeles, where she was executive pastry chef at the famed Chateau Marmont, to be closer to her family in Chicago and opened her restaurant, Aigre Doux. Chicago Tribune restaurant critic, Phil Vettel, gave Aigre Doux an excellent rating of 3 stars and national attention was quick to follow from Bon Appetite, Food & Wine and Conde Nast Traveler. With the closing of Aigre Doux in 2009, Malika began creating private order pastries based on her popular desserts and consulting with restaurants. In 2010, she became a contestant on Top Chef: Just Desserts and started her made to order Couture Cookies, byMdesserts.
