High above Vienna, pastry chef Annette Fauma is transforming dessert into an extraordinary sensory experience.
In the latest episode of Where2FromHere, Annette Fauma joins Renae Leith-Manos to discuss creativity, ambition and the art of luxury hospitality.
What happens when a dessert becomes more than something delicious to eat? For Annette, the extraordinary pastry chef behind the sweet creations at Das LOFT at SO/ Vienna, it becomes an expression of art, emotion and imagination. Working on the 18th floor of one of Vienna’s most striking hotels, she brings together colour, texture, seasonality and storytelling to create desserts that challenge expectations and engage the senses.
In a fascinating conversation with Renae Leith-Manos, Annette reveals the passion, discipline and creative thinking behind a career at the highest levels of European hospitality.
When Dessert Becomes an Art Form
Perched high above Vienna, Das LOFT at SO/ Vienna is a setting where architecture, atmosphere and culinary creativity come together. It is an environment that feels particularly suited to Annette’s approach to pastry, where the experience begins long before the first bite.
For her, food is never simply about preparing ingredients and arranging them on a plate. It is about understanding how flavours work together, how textures create contrast and how colour can influence the way we experience a dish. Each dessert becomes a canvas, with ingredients providing the palette and technique bringing the vision to life.
Her creations may appear effortless, but behind their beauty lies meticulous planning, technical precision and an extraordinary attention to detail. Yet it is Annette’s imagination that makes her work so compelling. She takes familiar flavours and transforms them into something unexpected, inviting guests to look twice, reconsider what they know and experience a dish in an entirely new way.
A Life Inspired by Food, Nature and Design
For Annette, creativity doesn’t begin and end in the kitchen. Food is something she lives and breathes, with inspiration found in the everyday details that others might overlook.
Wandering through local markets in search of seasonal produce, observing the colours and textures of nature and taking cues from architecture and design all contribute to her creative process. An ingredient might inspire an entirely new concept, while a particular season can influence the flavours, colours and mood of a dessert.
It is this curiosity that keeps her work evolving. Rather than relying solely on technical skill or established recipes, Annette continually explores how ingredients can be reimagined while still respecting their individual qualities.
The result is a delicate balance between precision and playfulness. Every element has a purpose, but there is also room for experimentation, surprise and the occasional unexpected combination.
The Journey Behind the Perfect Plate
In the latest episode of Where2FromHere, host Renae Leith-Manos sits down with Annette for an insightful conversation about what it really takes to build a career in the upper echelons of European hospitality.
Behind every beautifully executed dessert are years of practice, the pressure of professional kitchens and countless hours of work that guests never see. Annette reflects on the importance of discipline, the influence of mentors and the kitchens that have shaped her approach to food and creativity.
The conversation also explores what it means to lead a kitchen while allowing others to develop their own creative voices. For a chef working at this level, leadership requires more than setting high standards. It means creating an environment where technical excellence and individual expression can exist together.
Because while precision is essential, perfection alone is not enough. The most memorable food often comes from the willingness to experiment, question convention and give an idea the freedom to evolve.
Why Luxury Hospitality Is About More Than What’s on the Plate
Perhaps the most fascinating insight from Annette’s conversation is her understanding of hospitality as a complete sensory experience.
A dessert doesn’t exist in isolation. The room, the light, the architecture, the atmosphere and even the anticipation leading up to that first taste all contribute to how a guest experiences it.
At a destination such as Das LOFT, the setting becomes part of the story. The food, the surroundings and the emotions they evoke work together to create a moment that feels considered and memorable.
It is a philosophy that extends well beyond pastry. At the highest levels of luxury hospitality, the details that guests may not consciously notice can be just as important as the elements they immediately admire.
For Annette, the ultimate achievement is not simply creating something beautiful. It is creating something that makes people pause, engage their senses and feel something.
Listen to the Full Conversation
In this episode of Where2FromHere, Annette offers a glimpse into the mind of a chef whose work sits at the intersection of culinary technique, artistic expression and thoughtful hospitality.
It is a conversation about ambition, the discipline behind creative excellence and what happens when a profession becomes a genuine calling.
Listen to the full episode of Where2FromHere with Renae Leith-Manos and discover the extraordinary creative world of Annette at SO/ Vienna.
Where2FromHere explores the people shaping the future of luxury hospitality, travel, food and culture around the world, uncovering the ideas, experiences and individuals redefining how we see and experience the world.
