Since November 2009, The Buttermilk Truck has been gracing the streets of Los Angeles serving up red velvet pancakes – its most popular item from day one.
Starting Saturday, the warm, fluffy red breakfast creations will be a limited time addition to Hotel Shangri-La’s popular Dining Room brunch menu.
Buttermilk Truck’s founder and head pastry chef Gigi Pascual said her food truck was best known for its red velvet pancakes.
“We have a couple other favorites like the Fried Chicken and Cinnamon Waffle, the buttermilk brick and the Hawaiian bread French toast sticks,” Pascual said. “People come far and wide for these pancakes. We have one lovely family who orders eights orders of our red velvet pancakes when we are in their area. We have been featured in numerous publications and a couple cooking channel shows for our red velvet pancakes.”
She said the key to a good red velvet pancake was a couple of staple ingredients – buttermilk, vanilla, unsweetened cocoa powder, and vinegar.
“Source these ingredients from quality and reputable companies and you have got a winner,” she said. “The right amount of each to make the red velvet product sing is key as well. The vinegar is just a small amount but it reacts with the alkaline in the cocoa powder creating a more airy product. Buttermilk has nice savory acidity that adds a lovely element and texture to your final product. Finally I believe quality vanilla extracts, my personal favorite is Madagascar bourbon, makes all baked products sing!”
With the red velvet pancakes the first product on the market for Pascual, she said she wanted to create key partnerships.
“We started working with Shop Talk LA, Gail Cayetano’s partnership marketing company,” she said. “Our pancakes were a hit with the tasting at Hotel Shangri La. They have an amazing brunch menu already and our pancakes are the perfect addition of decadence. We also love the family and weekend brunch vibe in Santa Monica. It’s a perfect partnership and we are so excited to be working with them.”
Hotel Shangri-La is located at 1301 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica.
For more information, visit www.shangrila-hotel.com or buttermilktruck.com.
