Thessa Diadem wasn’t planning on working this year.

The acclaimed pastry chef, whose whimsical creations made dessert an occasion at Koreatown’s Here’s Looking At You and elevated all-American biscuits and pies to spectacular heights at All Day Baby in Silver Lake, was on a self-imposed hiatus to decompress after leaving both restaurants in 2023. Exhausted and seeking renewed inspiration through travel — first in London and Paris, then a temple stay with Jeong Kwan in South Korea, and finally heading to Mexico and Argentina — Diadem was toying with the idea of a permanent move abroad. Then, an opportunity manifested: A headhunter reached out about an opening at the Georgian hotel set on the sunny shores of Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica.

The 91-year-old landmark was under new ownership and seeking a chef to spearhead its pastry department and two on-site restaurants: the Restaurant at the Georgian, an all-day California Italian spot that sprawls across a bougainvillea-shaded terrace and continues into the hotel’s lobby, and the Georgian Room, a subterranean steakhouse that emanates Old-World-meets-Old-Hollywood charm. While hotel restaurants aren’t known for the kind of culinary creativity that Diadem built her career on, this boutique operation was run more like an independent restaurant than a corporate behemoth. Former Mozza chef David Almany, who emphasized creative freedom and impeccable ingredient sourcing, had been leading the charge.

“Normally I wouldn’t entertain hotel jobs because I prefer working in chef-driven restaurants, but chef David created that kind of culture within the restaurants at the Georgian,” Diadem says.

The job promised greater financial stability, health benefits (a first for Diadem), a better work-life balance, and even a four-person pastry team — a unicorn opportunity as far as hospitality jobs go, in Diadem’s book.

For the interview, candidates were required to prepare focaccia and their choice of two Italian desserts and a classic American dessert for the hotel’s owners, Jon Blanchard and Nicolo Rusconi. Diadem made a pistachio semifreddo, a coconut budino, and a miniature chocolate layer cake with a velvety espresso amaretto sauce to provide a sense of her skills and sensibilities. The audition went well. So well, in fact, that the three other tastings scheduled for later in the day were canceled and Diadem was offered the role on the spot. “I wasn’t even out of the building yet when the recruitment agency sent me an offer letter,” she says.

It’s become increasingly rare to see thoughtfully composed desserts on Los Angeles restaurant menus as small restaurants are forced to eke out a living under incredible economic pressure and on swiftly shrinking profit margins. These days, dessert options often consist simply of soft serve or pre-made puddings and panna cottas prettied with a chocolate sauce, fresh berries, and a mint sprig. But at the Georgian, the pomp and circumstance that an end to a meal merits is fulfilled under Diadem’s direction.

Though Diadem takes culinary cues from the executive chef — “It’s always been my job to match or complement the dessert menu with the chef’s menu,” she says — there are certain markers she considers when approaching the task. She usually starts the process with a well-known dessert or pastry in mind (say, a Mexican concha or a chocolate cake) before adding a personal riff that’s often inspired by global flavors, a nostalgic bent, or a little of both.

From there, Diadem leans on her years of experience and extensive inspiration, along with the available ingredients, to compose the dessert and its many flourishes. “I am more inspired when I see things, so if I’m at the farmers market and see different ingredients, I add it up in my brain to see if it works,” she says. “I can’t make a dish just thinking about it.” She knows her creations have hit the mark when diners are reminded of a flavor or a memory from childhood; she first experienced this at Here’s Looking At You with her burnt corn panna cotta that reminded a diner of capirotada, and has been chasing it ever since.

The desserts served at the Georgian reflect Diadem’s diverse culinary path, which has zigged-zagged its way around some of LA’s most celebrated kitchens. Her strict adherence to seasonality can be traced back to where she first encountered it at chef Micah Wexler’s now-closed restaurant Mezze, while her playful attitude reflects the approach chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo fostered at the now-closed Animal and chain of Jon & Vinny’s restaurants. A nod to global flavors and ingredients reflects the years Diadem spent working alongside the late chef Jonathan Whitener at Here’s Looking At You and All Day Baby.

Eater sat down with Diadem to learn the inspiration behind seven of the most memorable sweets and an unforgettable savory focaccia now served steps away from the Pacific Ocean at the Georgian.

Coconut Budino at the Restaurant at the Georgian

Diadem: The coconut budino is one of my favorite things. I decided to use Thai coconut milk because it is the best kind and has a lot of fat so I don’t have to use eggs. It has some strawberries that are macerated in elderflower syrup, which is nice and very floral; it really cuts through the fattiness of coconut milk. The strawberry sorbet adds a little bit of coolness. I love the anise flavor from the fennel granita with the strawberries. And the black sesame halva was for crunch and gives it a balance. I wanted to create a vegan and gluten-free dessert that looks good on a plate. I don’t want to just be, ‘Oh, here’s a sorbet.’ I wanted to at least make something special.

Pistachio Semifreddo at the Restaurant at the Georgian

I love Sicilian pistachios, so I thought I’d make a semifreddo out of it. It’s made with Sicilian pistachio paste from Italy and then I incorporate it with what is available to me here in LA. Market citrus is in season and I love the colors of the cara caras and the blood orange together. It’s finished with some toasted pistachios, basil oil, and the Agrumato, which is cold-pressed olive oil with lemon and one of my favorite ingredients.

When I was working in small restaurants, it was kind of hard to do things like [importing ingredients] because it had to be cost-effective and you had to be very creative with what you have. There are moments here where I feel really lucky to be able to get a hold of those kinds of ingredients and work with them because I have never had that luxury before.

Tiramisu at the Restaurant at the Georgian

The tiramisu was inspired by one I ate at a small restaurant in Florence, Italy by the Basilica di Santo Spirito. It was probably the best tiramisu I’ve had and they told me that they incorporated vin santo in it, so I’ve always had that in the back of my mind and it was so exciting to bring it out here. We make our own ladyfingers and then we soak them in an espresso amaretto syrup. It’s layered with the vin santo mascarpone cream and dusted with cocoa powder. The cocoa brittle with cocoa nibs adds some texture and crunch.

Banana Bread Pudding at the Georgian Room

It’s a bread pudding with caramelized bananas inside and it’s topped with toffee and creme anglaise. It’s almost like a marriage between bananas foster and a bread pudding. I added texture by making Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which tastes just like the cereal and people really freak out about that part because it reminds them of their childhood. That’s always like my favorite moment when I get to hit that part of their brain, like, ‘Oh my god, that was my favorite cereal when I was growing up.’ I’ve experienced that firsthand at Here’s Looking At You, so I have tried to do that ever since then.

Flourless Chocolate Cake at the Georgian Room

Chocolate and hazelnut is obviously a classic pairing, so I thought I’d do that and then I was making torrone, it’s like a nougat, and I thought, ‘That chocolate cake is so rich, it needed something light,’ but I didn’t want to use whipped cream. So I whipped some egg whites and then made a sauce to pair with the cake. It’s so light and airy, it goes perfectly with the dark chocolate that’s super dense and fudgy and the hazelnut gelato. The cake is a gluten-free option for everyone that tastes delicious.

Spumoni Baked Alaska at the Georgian Room

At the Georgian Room, I get to have fun with more of the classic desserts like the baked Alaska. I was thinking about how I could incorporate something Italian in there. Spumoni is not really Italian Italian, it’s more like American Italian, but I thought that would hit more nostalgia. It’s so simple, it’s so good. We make all our ice creams in-house, so it’s chocolate cake and then it’s the pistachio, strawberry, and chocolate ice creams. It’s coated in Italian meringue and then it’s toasted.

Chocolate Cake at the Georgian Room

I’ve made a version of chocolate cake at every single restaurant that I’ve worked at. The very first one was at Jon & Vinny’s with the creme anglaise, which was named the best chocolate cake in Los Angeles by Los Angeles Magazine in 2018. Then when I went to All Day Baby, I did one with a Vietnamese coffee jam in the middle and a boiled chocolate icing. I created a version that I thought would be suited for the Georgian during my tasting. It’s a chocolate cake but I made a really luxurious ganache and then I topped it with buttercream made with Dutch cocoa and cocoa powder; it’s a really dark buttercream. For the Italian influence, I paired it with the amaretto espresso cream. The hotel’s owner Jon [Blanchard] personally requested that we serve it as a verbal special and have limited amounts while the Georgian Room is open.

Focaccia at the Restaurant at the Georgian

It’s a really high-hydration focaccia, almost 90 percent, super delicate and tender. We fold it to create the bubbles. It’s aerated with a really crispy shell; we also add a little bit of saltwater on top just to help with the crispness and add flavor to it. I just par-bake it and then we finish it in the oven until it gets some more color when we get an order. We top it with really good olive oil and then flake salt onto it.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.