Samantha Frei
Samantha Frei is an accomplished pastry chef based in North Miami Beach, Florida, with 20 years of experience in the pastry and culinary field. She is currently the Executive Pastry Chef at the iconic Biltmore Hotel in Miami, where she has been for 10 months. Samantha’s journey to this role has been diverse, spanning catering companies, donut and bagel shops, hotels, and restaurants. Her passion for cooking began in high school, and upon discovering the art of pastry, she knew she had found her calling. At the Biltmore, she oversees every aspect of the pastry operations, including managing emails and BEOs, organizing production with her team and sous chef, supervising staff, attending meetings, handling ordering, and contributing to special function production.
Throughout her career, Samantha has held key positions at establishments such as The Palms Hotel & Spa, where she advanced from pastry cook to pastry chef, as well as The Salty Donut, Bill Hansen Catering & Event Production, and Timbr. She has consistently brought creativity, precision, and leadership to every role, ensuring that each culinary experience exceeds expectations. Her work at the Biltmore includes supporting busy corporate and social events, with recent highlights including a large-scale event for Moda and the hotel’s centennial celebration. She is also focused on revamping dessert menus across the hotel’s restaurant outlets and coffee shop.
A graduate of Johnson & Wales University-Florida with an Associate of Science in Baking and Pastry Arts, Samantha is passionate about building strong, talented teams and fostering innovation in pastry. She takes pride in leading a skilled group of professionals at the Biltmore, collaborating to push creative boundaries and deliver exceptional experiences for guests. With her blend of technical mastery, artistic vision, and dedication to mentorship, Samantha continues to make her mark on Miami’s culinary scene.
• Johnson & Wales University - AS, Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef
• Zagat, 30 under 30 Honoree
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my drive and my curiosity. It's still unfortunately a male-dominated field - like, the woman's place is in the kitchen, but not professionally, which is stupid. So I've had to fight for respect and to get the guys to listen to me. It's been a challenge, but once they realize you work, then they're like, oh, this is great. I think staying curious and not closing yourself off has been essential. I didn't learn skills like knife cuts, sauteing, and braising until later when I worked in catering, and those have helped me so much in the kitchen to understand how to be a better chef. There's that old poster our elementary school teachers used to have - your mind's a parachute, it's better when it's opened. That's how I view it.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received came from Maria Bond, who was a beverage director when I worked at the Palms Hotel and Spa in Miami Beach. I haven't spoken to her in maybe 10 years, but she was a huge influence on me, pushing me to just explore more. That encouragement to keep exploring and expanding my perspective has stayed with me throughout my career.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be curious. Don't close yourself off by thinking, well, I'm pastry, I don't know how to do savory, I don't want to know how to do savory. Learn your knife cuts, sauteing, braising - those skills I didn't learn until later when I worked in catering, and they have helped me so much in the kitchen to understand how to be a better chef. There's that old poster our elementary school teachers used to have - your mind's a parachute, it's better when it's opened. That's how I view it. I try and push all this stuff on my team because they're younger, so they're receptive, and it's awesome. You have to fight for respect in this field because it's still male-dominated, but once people realize you work hard, they come around.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges right now are definitely the rising cost of goods. Ingredients have gone up significantly - eggs and other essentials keep going up, and I know it's going to keep going up with the prices of gas and everything. Another major challenge is just to make yourself seen, because I've noticed pastry is not as front and center as it was 10 years ago. Since the pandemic, it just kind of took a nosedive, and everyone just kind of left Miami. But it's having a little bit more resurgence now - it's coming back little by little, which is good for the opportunities side.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are transparency and cleanliness - those are the two big ones in my work. In my personal life, I really value spending quality time with my wife. We're newly married, and I love staying out with her, finding new restaurants, especially Asian restaurants, and going for omakase tasting menus. That's our little way of relaxing. Since it's Miami, I also love going to the beach and just unwinding for the day. My wife is very understanding of my busy schedule, which I really appreciate.