Make Brasserie SLO’s Gianduja Chocolate Tart

Kenny Seliger, the new Executive Chef at Brasserie SLO, knows about food and romance. It was while working with one particularly impressive pastry chef that he found love, after all. That pastry chef is now his wife, Dominika Seliger. Together, they often collaborate on recipes.

Several months ago, the Seligers moved to San Luis Obispo so Chef Kenny could begin his tenure as Brasserie SLO’s Sous Chef Consultant, which quickly turned into a full-time position as Executive Chef. With 11 years of experience, Chef Kenny is excited to have landed at Brasserie SLO, which is housed inside Hotel Cerro and makes use of the plentiful herbs, fruit and vegetables from the Edible Gardens on the hotel’s rooftop.

Kenny and Dominika wanted to develop a romantic recipe that couples could craft together for a date night in, so they collaborated on the Flourless Chocolate Nutella Cake. This cake, which features a simple base of chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar, is crowned with a nutella creme topping containing mascarpone cheese and whipping cream. The end result is a cake that’s extra rich with chocolate flavor — much richer, in fact, than flour cakes. 

“We wanted to create a recipe that was gluten-free but still represented chocolate goodness,” Chef Kenny says.

The Seligers also have an ace up the sleeve: a next-level recipe for couples looking to challenge one another culinarily. If a chocolate cake seems too simple for culinarian couples, the Seligers say that a chocolate tart is the next step.

“Out of the two, the tart is the more challenging,” Chef Kenny says. But the chef assures home cooks that while effort is required, the tart is still a straightforward recipe that works as long as you follow the instructions and have a scale so you can measure in grams.

During a stressful pandemic, chocolate may be the antidote to family stress. “Chocolate always makes everyone happier,” Chef Kenny says.

And if you don’t feel like making your desserts, Chef Kenny recommends picking up a delectable treat at Life of Pie, the pie shop next to his restaurant where can grab a slice or a pie to-go.