Chez Nibs
Address: 212 East 500 South, Suite A
Telephone: 801-673-8340
Website: cheznibs.com
District: Central City
“I never thought I’d come back to Salt Lake, but life has its twists and turns.” Romina Rasmussen had traveled the world, living in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Taipei, Hong Kong, Miami, and New York City. In 2003, however, life brought her back to her hometown of Salt Lake City. What began as an unexpected detour turned into the foundation of a long and successful career as one of the city’s most revered pastry chefs.
Born and raised in Salt Lake, Romina came from a unique family background. Her mother was Chilean, and her father was an Idaho-born Mormon who learned Spanish during his mission. Despite this culturally diverse upbringing, Romina laughs as she recalls that her mother was not much into cooking, “We ate out a lot,” Romina jokes, and her dad was known only for his pancakes. Her passion for baking came from her own curiosity rather than any family tradition. This fascination with food started early. When shopping at Kmart with her parents, she could often be found in the cookbook aisle, thumbing through dessert recipes that intrigued her far more than anything savory.
Romina left home on her nineteenth birthday, ready to explore the world. She pursued various professional opportunities, working in Taipei and Hong Kong as a communication manager for AT&T’s Asia Pacific region. Romina had studied at the University of Southern California (USC), where she majored in International Relations and minored in East Asian languages and cultures. She decided to take Chinese, inspired by her desire to explore the world and practice the language she had learned. While in Hong Kong, “We used to sit around and fantasize about our dream jobs,” she recalls. “My boss wanted to make jewelry, and I said I’d be a pastry chef.” That dream, which started as a fun conversation, became a real goal for Romina. After years of traveling and living abroad, she decided to return to the U.S. in her thirties to make it a reality. She enrolled at the French Culinary Institute (FCI) in New York City, marking the beginning of her formal culinary journey. After graduating, she worked at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami, gaining hands-on experience and immersing herself in the world she had once only imagined.
It was not until a fateful phone call from her brother that she began to think about opening her own bakery. He offered her a building in Salt Lake, but Romina, unsure of returning to Utah, was hesitant. “I said yes, but I don’t know why,” she recalls with a smile. In December 2003, she opened her first bakery, Les Madeleines. Though the location was far from ideal, it became the birthplace of her now-famous pastry, the Kouign Amann.
The Kouign Amann, a buttery, caramelized pastry originating from Brittany, France, was unknown in the U.S. at the time. Romina was one of the first bakers in the country to make it, and her version quickly garnered attention. The pastry’s popularity grew, drawing crowds and putting her bakery on the map. “People started coming because of the Kouign Amann,” she says, reflecting on how it became a defining element of her brand.
As her business expanded, so did Romina’s menu, which included breakfast, lunch, pastries, and even gelato. In 2007, she moved into a larger space in the Central District with more seating and a bigger kitchen, allowing her to experiment with new offerings. However, 2008 brought the economic downturn, and Romina faced significant challenges. Despite the hardships, she persevered, appearing twice on the Food Network. “Being on the Food Network was a game-changer,” Romina reflects. “It helped me weather that storm.”
Her resilience did not stop there. Romina adapted her business during the COVID-19 pandemic by pivoting to online orders and expanding her shipping options. Having joined Goldbelly in 2013, a national online food marketplace, she already had a platform for shipping her Kouign Amann nationwide. This move proved critical during the pandemic, helping her maintain a steady stream of business. Today, her Kouign Amann remains one of her top-selling items on Goldbelly's platform.
In 2022, however, Romina faced a turning point. After a health scare that landed her in the hospital, she realized she needed to step back from Les Madeleines. “That night, I knew I had to close the bakery,” she admits. "I decided I had one more holiday season in me." The decision was not easy, and she initially kept it to herself, waiting until just before Thanksgiving to share the news with her team and loyal customers. To her surprise, the announcement sparked an outpouring of support. Lines formed around the block as people came for one last taste of her beloved pastries. “I, honestly, didn’t think anyone would notice or care,” Romina says humbly, “but the response was overwhelming.”
Romina closed the bakery at the end of December 2022, but she was nowhere near done. For two years, she and two partners had been working on her next venture, Xiao Bao Bao, a Chinese-inspired dumpling shop (please see this post). By September 2023, Romina had reimagined the Les Madeleines space, and she was able to not only open Xiao Bao Bao, but also her smaller pastry and chocolate shop. She renamed this Chez Nibs, taking a different approach, focusing on a more manageable menu and a work-life balance that allowed her to enjoy what she was doing. “I engineered everything that year to fit into the life I wanted to live,” she explains. Although the offerings have been slimmed down - from some forty-five different pastries to only four or five each day - the good news is that Romina continues to bake her beloved Kouign Amann, while adding handmade chocolates. "It's glorious now. I open at noon on most days, and it is only four days a week."
Over the years, Romina’s dedication to high-quality ingredients has set her apart. She sources French flour for her croissants and brioche, King Arthur flour for her Kouign Amann, butter from Vermont, and premium chocolate from a small company in France called Weiss. “I’ve always chosen high-quality ingredients,” she says proudly. “It’s what makes my products different.”
Chez Nibs is named after Romina's beloved cat, Nibs, who had been a faithful companion through many of her adventures. Nibs has a striking coat - black on top but with a warm brown sheen underneath. His unique coloring and quiet presence became a source of inspiration. "When I got Nibs, I started calling the apartment 'Chez Nibs.'" Today, she not only remembers him by the shop's name, but the lovely paper hanging on one wall of the space is of delightful cats.
With Chez Nibs, and her new focus on chocolate and pastries, Romina has found pleasure in a simpler format. “I didn’t want to do anything savory - no breakfast, no lunch.” The decision may have disappointed some customers, but Romina is committed to creating in a way that is sustainable for her. "I am thoroughly enjoying what I am doing now." Though her career has had its ups and downs, from navigating the challenges of a tough economy to dealing with the pressures of owning a small business, she remains grateful for the journey and is proud of her ability to adapt and remain true to herself. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity to keep doing what I love, and to see people still enjoying it.”
