From Michelin Stars to Somerset: The Sweet Life of Riley Redfern

6 minutes ago

4 min read

After more than a decade in the prestigious kitchens of San Francisco and New York, award-winning pastry chef Riley Redfern has found a new home in Frome, bringing world-class French patisserie, beautiful local ingredients and a passion for craftsmanship to the heart of Somerset.

There's something rather wonderful about discovering that a pastry chef whose creations once graced the tables of a three-Michelin-starred restaurant is now making exquisite cakes and handcrafted chocolates right here in Frome.

Meet Riley Redfern, the talented chef behind Redfern Cake Studio, whose journey from the high-pressure world of American fine dining to the more relaxed rhythms of Somerset is as appealing as the creations themselves.

With more than 12 years' experience as a professional pastry chef, Riley's credentials are seriously impressive. After graduating with High Honours from Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco, Riley went on to work in some of America's most prestigious kitchens, including Coi, the celebrated three-Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant.

In 2018, Riley was named Pastry Chef of the Year by San Francisco Magazine, while work at Coi was featured in So Good Magazine, an internationally respected publication dedicated to the art of contemporary pastry.

But despite the excitement and extraordinary standards of fine dining, Riley was ready for something different.

Trading Fine Dining for a Slower Pace

Moving to Somerset wasn't about leaving those hard-earned skills behind. Quite the opposite. It was an opportunity to take the precision, creativity and classic French techniques developed over years in Michelin-starred kitchens and apply them to something more personal.

Rather than the relentless pace of restaurant service, Riley wanted to focus on small-scale craftsmanship, exceptional ingredients and the pleasure of creating something beautiful from scratch.

And where better than Frome, a town with a flourishing independent food scene and a genuine appreciation for the people and passion behind what we eat?

Through Redfern Cake Studio, Riley now creates luxury wedding and celebration cakes, elegant afternoon tea experiences and handcrafted chocolates, each combining the refinement of fine dining with the warmth and individuality of an artisan business.

It's an approach that feels perfectly at home in Somerset, where local provenance, traditional skills and creative independence are all part of the appeal.

Beautiful Ingredients, Exceptional Craftsmanship

For Riley, the ingredients are every bit as important as the technique.

The studio's chocolate creations are made using exclusively Valrhona chocolate, a favourite among professional pastry chefs, alongside fresh organic Jersey cream from Ivy House Farm in nearby Beckington.

It's a lovely example of Riley's philosophy: bringing together the very best of international confectionery expertise with outstanding ingredients produced practically on the doorstep.

That same attention to detail extends to the studio's celebration cakes. Elegant, beautifully finished and often adorned with fresh flowers, they're designed to be as memorable to eat as they are to look at.

Whether it's a spectacular wedding centrepiece, an indulgent afternoon tea or a box of handmade chocolates, there's a sense that every element has been carefully considered.

A Little Christmas Magic

With the festive season fast approaching, Riley has created something particularly special: the 2026 Festive Chocolate Collection, a limited run of handcrafted bonbons that look almost too beautiful to eat.

Each box contains twelve chocolates, featuring six deliciously seasonal flavours:

Spiced Mince Pie: White chocolate infused with Christmas mincemeat spices.
Peppermint Mocha: A 55% dark chocolate shell with espresso and peppermint ganache.
Warm Gingerbread: Milk chocolate filled with warming gingerbread ganache.
Bourbon Cream: Rich 70% dark chocolate with brown butter ganache and a buttery biscuit base.
Coconut Snow Ball: White chocolate filled with coconut ganache and toasted coconut.
Pecan Praline: Milk chocolate with caramelised pecan praline.

From the shimmering gold of Warm Gingerbread to the jewel-like green of Pecan Praline and snowy blue of Coconut Snow Ball, the collection is a little celebration of Christmas in chocolate form.

Beautifully crafted and full of festive flavour, these would make a gorgeous gift, a thoughtful stocking filler or simply a well-deserved indulgence during the busiest time of year.

The collection is being produced in strictly limited quantities, with preorders closing on 4 December. Customers can collect their chocolates in person at the Cheese & Grain Festive Food Fair on Sunday 13 December.

Order your festive chocolates

Sharing the Secrets of the Pastry Kitchen

But there's another side to Redfern Cake Studio that's just as appealing as the finished creations.

Having spent years mastering the exacting techniques of professional patisserie, Riley is passionate about sharing that knowledge and making the world of pastry feel a little less intimidating.

Through Instagram and Facebook, followers are invited behind the scenes to see everything from the meticulous process of creating beautiful cakes and chocolates to the occasional kitchen mishap.

And for those who fancy having a go themselves, Riley's Substack offers detailed recipes, practical advice and deeper explorations of pastry techniques.

It's a wonderfully approachable philosophy from someone with such an accomplished culinary background. After all, great food should be something to enjoy, explore and share, not simply admire from a distance.

For Riley, the move to Frome has created the opportunity to combine a remarkable professional career with a more personal way of working, rooted in creativity, community and the simple pleasure of making something extraordinary.

And if those beautiful chocolates are anything to go by, we're very glad Riley chose Somerset.

An Exclusive Christmas Treat for Fabulous Frome Readers

To celebrate the launch of the festive collection, Riley is offering Fabulous Frome readers 15% off Christmas chocolate boxes when preordering by 20 November 2026.

Simply use the code FABFROME7 at checkout.