Dessert fans in Denver know pastry chef Nadine Donovan from her work at Old Major, but she just landed a new gig as the pastry pro for Steuben's, Ace and Vesta Dipping Grill (collectively known as Secret Sauce F & B). Her first order of business was to revamp the dessert list at Steuben's, which hasn't undergone any significant changes since the restaurant opened in 2006. In addition to putting her touch on existing items, like the longtime favorite butterscotch pudding, Donovan has added two new desserts that will be available beginning today.

The first is a lemon icebox bar made with white cake, frozen lemon mousse and toasted meringue, plated with blackberry sauce and gingersnap crumbles. The other is a peanut butter cheesecake mounted on a circle of brownie and robed in chocolate ganache. "I was excited about the opportunity to work with more classic, home-style desserts at Steuben’s, something that I haven’t played with in a while," says Donovan. "I was also looking forward to bringing all of Steuben’s desserts in-house. ”

Although she's only been with the Secret Sauce group for a couple of weeks, Donovan is also ready to turn her attention toward Vesta and Ace. "The variety of Secret Sauce concepts will really give me the chance to work with a lot of different ingredients and techniques from menu to menu," she adds. Look for her sweet contributions to the menus at those two eateries in the coming months as she works with the kitchen crews there to come up with new desserts.

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