Carmel Magazine

Carmel Magazine SP 15

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Monterey Meringues Rocks the Pastry Scene S he's an American actress. He's a Scottish rocker. She earned a Laurence Olivier Award from the London Society of Theatre, and has starred in major musicals. He plays 11 instruments and once toured with Foreigner. She's blonde, beautiful and captivating. He's bespeckled, quirky and charming. Together they are the married couple Leigh Zimmerman and Domenick Allen, who moved from London to Monterey in 2014 to rein- vent themselves as culinary entrepreneurs and philanthropists. With help from their 14-year-old daughter Cayleigh, the family has launched Monterey Meringues, a re-imagination of the classic French con- fection in deliciously different flavors, colors and shapes. To prepare, all three underwent culinary training. Leigh studied the Art of Baking Meringues and Macarons at Le Cordon Bleu in London, Domenick studied at the Waitrose Cooking School in London, while Cayleigh learned through the Westminster Kingsway Culinary College. Then they called on their familiar show-biz ethic: Practice, practice, practice. "The cupcake is gone, the mac- aron had its day," says Zimmerman. "We wanted to create a product that was light, fun, sweet, gluten- free, dairy-free, and in that relative- ly new concept of bite size." They found the meringues they sampled in Europe too large and too dry, so they came up with their own version—"crunchy on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside, that just melts in your mouth" she says. Working out of a commercial kitchen in Watsonville, Monterey Meringues uses no stabilizers or artificial coloring (red is created with tinges of beet juice, for example). They have elevated the concept by combining the sweet treats with the colors and energy of classic rock, creating "Psychedelicious" gourmet munchies with names like Dazed and Infused and Inna-Gadda-Divinity. The kicker? A portion of the proceeds supports music education, including the local chapter of Guitars Not Guns. "We're foodies who've eaten their way through the world," Allen says. "We were looking for something to pour our show business talents into—with a charitable component." With a mantra of"music, meringues, peace and love," a family has found a new home. Find out more at www.montereymeringues.com. —Larry Harland SHORTCUTS BUSINESS The new Psychedelicious treats are created by former rock musician Domenick Allen, his wife Leigh Zimmerman, and their daughter Cayleigh. Top 10 flavors include the Miley Citrus and Oreo Speedwagon. 58 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 Photo: Kelli Uldall

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