Chef‑pastry pop‑ups in Laredo

A 24-year-old Laredo chef who trained in Michelin-starred kitchens abroad is spending six days this month testing whether his pastries can find a hometown audience. (diningandcooking.com) Carlos David Monahan’s pop-up runs April 16 to 18 and April 23 to 25 at Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee in Laredo, with service scheduled from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. (diningandcooking.com) Monahan told the Laredo Morning Times he is serving six pastry items, including signature tarts, éclairs and entremets, a layered French-style dessert built from sponge, cream and glaze. (diningandcooking.com) His résumé is unusually international for a first local pop-up: the Morning Times profile said he trained at a culinary institute in Switzerland and worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain, Hong Kong and San Francisco. (diningandcooking.com) One of those San Francisco stops, O’ by Claude Le Tohic, currently holds one Michelin star in the Michelin Guide. Quince, another restaurant named in reporting on Monahan’s career, holds three Michelin stars. (guide.michelin.com, guide.michelin.com) Monahan told the Morning Times he built the menu to fit local tastes while still offering desserts “not typically from here,” and said he wanted “Laredoan feedback” before deciding on his next step. (diningandcooking.com) The setting matters too. Casa Blanca Specialty Coffee operates at 1605 East Del Mar Boulevard in Laredo, and business listings show weekday hours that match the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. window for the pop-up. (restaurantji.com, chamberofcommerce.com) For now, the experiment is simple: bring pastries shaped by kitchens in Switzerland, Spain, Hong Kong and San Francisco back to a coffee shop in Laredo and see who shows up. (diningandcooking.com)