KENT, Ohio — Andrew Horning knows how to give people what they want. But he also likes to educate their dessert palate, giving them adventure when he knows his customers will enjoy something a bit different, and a bit risky.
Whether it’s his recent offerings of sweet corn ice cream, a vegan phyllo cake with orange and cinnamon syrup or a choix (pronounced “shoe”) bun filled with mascarpone and blueberry cream, Horning is always looking to excite the customers and give some allegiance to his own delectable creations.
This 33-year-old pastry and dessert cook at Bell Tower Brewing Company & Kitchen in Kent, Ohio, had no idea that life would hand him this type of road map, but he’s overjoyed about where he has landed.
“This isn’t work. I love what I do,” he said. “It’s been quite a journey, and I’m having a lot of fun.”
Indeed, Bell Tower Brewing co-founder and general manager Ryan Tipton is thrilled with how things have developed.
“We are a scratch kitchen and Andrew’s skills and abilities in dessert creation pair perfectly with keeping us accountable to our own high-quality standards,” Tipton said. “Andrew’s dessert offerings surprise a lot of people when they come visit us for the first time because of how creative and flavorful they are.”
Tipton knows he can count on Horning to maintain that quality, giving customers something to constantly look forward to.
“Layering in seasonal fruits and farm-fresh products really ups the ante when it comes to exceeding our customer’s expectations, and keeps them coming back for more,” he said.
A calling
After growing up in Stow, Ohio and attending Kent State University, Horning started working with his father in apartment and property maintenance. By the time he was 24, he solely took care of a building that had 127 units at full occupancy. And while he was always glad to make sure that 127 different families had what they needed, there were other paths that seemed to be calling him.
“I played football for five years for Kent State,” he said. “You know, I always thought that just perhaps I could turn pro, but that didn’t happen.”
Horning finally felt the pull into restaurant work, starting as a dishwasher at Treno Ristorante in the former Kent Pufferbelly Restaurant.
“Then I moved up to doing salads because I developed an affinity for the kitchen,” he smiled “The head chef there, Andrea Barolo, taught me quite a bit and I eventually fell into the role of dessert making,” he said.
But that was in 2018, and soon after, the pandemic decided to wreak havoc on the restaurant industry. Horning and his girlfriend, Emilee moved to Columbus, Ohio, for about three years. During this time, Horning worked with and learned from a few bakers in the city, including Aaron Clouse.
During the Columbus years, Horning pursued an online Chicago School of Pastry certification. He honed the skills necessary to learn the proper techniques of the intricacies of baking. He experimented. He laughed. He cried. He succeeded. He pored over thousands of books and learned the best kinds of foods to pair with one another.
“My parents always gave me a worldly view to never be close-minded. I was taught to always ask questions, but also to look for the answers,” he said. His mother was always 100% behind his career path. His father was also supportive, but because Horning describes him as a “finance” guy and always looking on the practical side, he knew the risks of the restaurant industry. His father often asked Andrew if he was sure this was what he wanted to pursue.
“Now, he’s also 100% behind it,” he said.
Going home
As he perfected his skills, another turn in the roadmap was about to occur. Emilee had been raised in Kent, and with Horning’s family so nearby in Stow, they decided to return to the university-based small town atmosphere.
“At first, I applied again to be a dishwasher here at the Bell Tower,” he said. “But they took a look at my resume and who I had been working with and put me on as the person to build out the dessert program.”
He has now been with Bell Tower for a year, delighting customers with unique culinary expressions.
“The Columbus food culture is very different than Kent’s,” he said. “You can get away with a bit more ‘fringe’ desserts in Columbus,” he said, citing as an example that a friend of his has specially created a “bone marrow creme brulee.” Horning said he isn’t quite sure that would fly in Kent.
“My customers here like comfort and simplicity,” he said. “But I give them that in surprising ways.”
He’s grateful for the locally-grown items available from area farmers, which he uses as much as possible.
“We are at the Farmer’s Market here in Kent every weekend, and I will be living at Kent’s Beckwith’s Orchards now that autumn is to arrive so soon,” he said, citing Beckwith’s apples and peaches especially. He added that the brewery portion of the restaurant uses locally sourced barley and malt, as well.
Horning added that sweet corn is definitely used as a part of the ice cream that was offered as a recent dessert choice. That recipe was inspired by Audrey Skula, who works with Andrew at Bell Tower. She had been intrigued by recipes she found for sweet corn, and she knows that during the peak of the season.
“We use sweet corn that we roast with seasonings of salt, pepper and paprika to really bring out the natural flavors of the corn and balance out the sweetness. We also use a bit of butter and vanilla extract to bring it all together,” Skula said.
Bell Tower’s head brewer, Jennifer Hermann, has her own take on Andrew’s form of genius.
“Andrew brings an elevated awareness to understanding not only how powerful the presentation of a dessert can be, but also has the knack for playing off seasonality. Certain desserts, as with certain beer styles, just seem to work better in particular seasons,” Hermann said. “Andrew and I frequently taste ingredients together, and we are always excited when a dessert paired with a beer hits all the right notes with that ‘Wow!’ factor.”
Every month, Horning offers up a menu change so that customers can look forward to trying new things. “Pretty soon, we will have the apple-pecan bourbon ice cream and the vegan semolina cake with apples.”
Horning’s desserts can be purchased and enjoyed at Bell Tower Brewing Co. & Kitchen, 310 Park Ave, in Kent, Ohio.
