Tariq Hanna facts for kids

Tariq Hanna is a well-known pastry chef. He was once the main pastry chef and a partner at a famous dessert restaurant called Sucré in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tariq was born and grew up in Nigeria. After going to a boarding school in England, he moved to the United States. He first attended Lawrence Technological University in Detroit, Michigan. Later, he decided to study cooking at Oakland Community College. His very first job in a restaurant was making sandwiches at a deli called Sol's Deli in Southfield, Michigan. While looking for jobs making hot food, Tariq also started trying out baking and making pastries.

Starting His Sweet Career

In 1993, when Tariq Hanna was 24 years old, he opened his own business. It was a pastry and catering shop called The Northville Gourmet. His family helped him run the shop. After working for himself for six years, Tariq got a special job offer. He became the very first casino pastry chef in Detroit. This was at the MotorCity Casino, which opened in December 1999. At MotorCity, Tariq spent a lot of time learning and teaching about pastries. He also took part in many baking competitions. These competitions were both local and national.

Winning Baking Awards

While working at MotorCity Casino, Tariq Hanna showed off his skills in several cooking competitions. Many of these were on the Food Network TV channel. He competed in shows like the National Bread and Pastry Championship. He also took part in the Chocolate Fantasy Competition. Other fun competitions included Cereal Bridges and Gingerbread Mansions. In 2004, he won a big award. The American Culinary Federation named him the first Central Region Pastry Chef of the Year. He was also the Runner-up National Pastry Chef of the Year.

Creating Sucré Desserts

After seven years at MotorCity Casino, Tariq Hanna joined forces with Joel Dondis. Joel Dondis is a restaurant owner from New Orleans. Together, they worked to create Joel's dream of the Sucré restaurant. Tariq was recognized for his amazing work at Sucré. In 2007, New Orleans Magazine named him Pastry Chef of the Year. He was also a finalist for Chef Magazine's 2008 Chef of the Year award. In both 2008 and 2009, New Orleans City Business Culinary Connoisseurs named him the best pastry chef.

TV Baking Challenges

Tariq Hanna also appeared on other TV shows. He competed on TLC's Ultimate Cake Off. He was in episode 1, which was called "Shark Summer." He also appeared in episode 4, "Fourth of July." Tariq also competed on the Food Network Challenge. This episode was about "Incredible Edible Mansions."

Later Years

In 2018, Tariq Hanna left Sucré. He sold his part of the company. The Sucré restaurant later closed its doors on June 17, 2019.