Living the Dream: Cheryl Wakerhauser
Email this article to a friend 
Print this Article
Name: Cheryl Wakerhauser
Age: 32
Location: Portland, Oregon
Education: University of Minnesota, B.S. in Food Science and Business Management
Job Title: Owner and pastry chef at Pix Patisserie,
What She Does: Cheryl owns, manages, and creates elegant and artistic pastries and chocolates for two Pix Patisserie locations. And we aren’t talking simple éclairs and croissants served in a chintzy, wannabe-French setting. From the charming Pixie (layers of pistachio, almond paste, and raspberry jam) to the Manic Panic ice cream, Pix is bursting with individuality.
How She Got Her Gig: Cheryl grew up in Wisconsin, where dinner each night was a meal that traveled from the freezer to the table in minutes. She attended the University of Minnesota and majored in Engineering with aspirations of flying to the moon someday. But then she did a study-abroad program in the Philippines, where she discovered fresh, flavorful food. “I fell in love with all the new stuff,” Cheryl says. “The mangoes I tasted in the Philippines, lemongrass when I traveled through Thailand, and the sushi that was hand-rolled by my Japanese host family.” By the time she returned from her travels, she’d switched her major to Food Science and Business. Upon graduation she went to culinary school in Canada, tested recipes for the Pillsbury Bake-Off, and studied pastry making in France. She began selling her wares at the Portland Farmer’s Market in 2001, and the first Pix opened its doors the next year.
This Baker’s Life: Sure, being a real-life Willy Wonka sounds fun, but it’s not sweet 24/7. “My job is very stressful,” Cheryl says. “There are definitely days that I wake up and wonder, ‘Why am I doing this?’” The freedom definitely helps. She can take the day off if she wants, or sleep in late if she needs to. Last fall she spent a month in Nice, France, soaking up the sun and enjoying lots of food and wine. She came back relaxed and sun-kissed, but then her lead baker left to have a baby. The maternity leave was only a few months, but it fell smack in the middle of the holiday season. Cheryl’s still recovering.
Nowhere to Hide: The Pix on North Williams in Portland houses Cheryl’s dream kitchen, built entirely to her specifications. It makes her production much easier, but it’s also equipped with little windows that offer a peek into her confection laboratory. That means no big mess-ups or mix-ups, and be aware of watchful eyes!
Sweet Song: “Shazam!” by the Beastie Boys. “I started wondering what a Shazam would taste like,” says Cheryl. So she created a dark chocolate tower filled with caramel mousse, a salted almond caramel center, dense chocolate almond cake, and more caramel. TO. DIE. FOR.
This Job’s for You if: You have a true passion for food, wine, and flavor. Cheryl finds inspiration everywhere—in her travels, in her ingredients, and from her customers. “This is hard work,” Cheryl says. “I won’t do it forever, I’m not that kind of person. But for now, it’s great fun.”