Lauren Breneman IN at Coquine

The chef shakeups just won’t stop. This month, Lauren Breneman takes over as pastry chef at Coquine, the acclaimed restaurant celebrated for its baked goods, especially its chocolate chip cookies. Breneman spent the last two years leading the pastry team at Portland’s venerable Beast.

At Coquine, the up-and-coming pastry chef will oversee the baked goods available during breakfast and lunch, as well as the dessert menu, with a focus on blurring the lines between savory and sweet pastries. She’s also designing large-format seasonal offerings, including a babka and gâteau basque for Thanksgiving.

“I joined Coquine to work with someone who respects and appreciates ingredients in such a way as Chef Katy [Millard],” Breneman tells Eater PDX. “The knowledge and excitement she has for the products is contagious."

And those iconic Coquine cookies? Breneman says they won’t change a bit.

Besides her pastry chef work, Breneman also leads a pop-up dinner, Astral, with her partner John Boisse (Park Avenue Wines).

• Coquine [Official Site]
• All Previous Coquine Coverage [EPDX]