Jason Reaves, a pastry chef known for his work at the Salamander Resort & Spa and appearances on several Food Network shows, has joined The Conche Chocolate & Cake Studio as the new executive pastry chef and director of operations.
“We are very lucky to have him, he’s a very talented, committed professional,” says Santosh Tiptur, the chef and founder of The Conche. “We are thrilled to have him on board.”
Reaves, a Leesburg native, worked with Salamander for 18 years, first at Market Salamander and then at the Salamander Resort & Spa when it opened in 2013. In an interview on the Salamander’s website, Reaves said he remembered being “captivated” by early concept renderings of the new resort long before it was a reality.
Reaves will now lead The Conche Chocolate & Cake Studio, which is the chocolate-focused retail location of the popular Leesburg restaurant The Conche. It opened in August of 2022.
This move comes as the business looks to expand its operations, says Tiptur. The team hopes to begin expanding its chocolate line, shipping goods nationwide and creating new, event-focused desserts out of the space.
“We want to start exploring options to produce desserts, small bites, and festive cakes for banquets, buffets, or hotels,” Tiptur says. “It requires a different level of expertise to produce these cakes and desserts for events.”
The goal is also to begin working with other distributors to be able to ship confections further out, something Tiptur says customers have requested after trying the sweets offered in store.
“Our flavors are very, very unique. And the process, we do not use any artificial flavors here, so it is pure fresh products that stand out,” Tiptur says. “We use high quality chocolate — every bite is exquisite.”
Feature image of The Conche chocolates by Michael Butcher
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