Natalie Plant is a born and raised St. Augustinian, and pastry chef at Café Alcazar at the Lightner Museum. This year, you can experience her creations in a new way with afternoon tea at the café, which includes full tea service and a 3-course sandwich and pastry tower. The teas run each day October 4. 2017 – January 7th, 2018.

What is your favorite thing about St. Augustine and St. Johns County? How have you seen St. Augustine’s culinary scene change/grow?

My favorite thing about St. Augustine is being so close to the beach and downtown. There are always new businesses opening, so it is always changing. But the best time is during Nights of Lights, when the entire city is lit up. The city has a lot of small, local restaurants, which encourages new and always changing menus.

What is your favorite aspect of baking? What led you to become a St. Augustine pastry chef?

Baking is a way of letting out my creativity. I grew up baking with my family and St. Augustine is my home. It is a passion.

Tell us about the Gilded Age culinary items you create. How did you discover and develop the menu for the Café’s Afternoon Teas related to the Lightner’s Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times exhibit?

The managers and I went to different teas and researched classic tea menu items, and put our own twist on traditional menu items.