Hotel Valley Ho Welcomes Deavynne Millward as Pastry Chef

(PRESS RELEASE) Deavynne Millward has taken on the helm at Hotel Valley Ho as pastry chef. The hotel’s previous pastry chef, Clarissa Robinson, is passing the whisk to take on the role of executive administrator. Chef Millward had never made a milkshake prior to joining the hotel, but is excited to add her own spin to the iconic and ever-evolving “Show Stopper” Shakes and mini “Short Stopper” Shakes at ZuZu. 

Born and raised in New Jersey, Deavynne also spent part of her childhood years living in Tucson. In high school, she attended a vocational program that sparked her interest in culinary. Eager to move back West, she graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale in 2017, then worked in pastry at the Arizona Biltmore and Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa. Her most recent role was pastry chef at Tonto Bar & Grill in Cave Creek, and she is also known for her win on "Candy Land" on the Food Network. 

Chef Millward loves working with macarons, ice cream sandwiches, shakes, cakes, chocolate, and sugar sculptures. Her first “Show Stopper” Shake is Hazel Royale, a Nutella shake topped with a Nutella-stuffed donut, Ferrero Rocher chocolates, chocolate milk crumb, chocolate curls, and a piece of chocolate-dipped-and-fried angel food cake. The shareable and highly Instagrammable shake is available throughout July for $20, and $1 of each shake sold will go to ALS Arizona. She also whipped up three mini “Short Stopper” Shakes, available July through September.

These include Chocolate Monkey, with chocolate and banana; Peaches + Cream, with a mini peach cobbler on top; and Not Your Average S’More, with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham cracker ($12 each). Shakes are served from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and “Short Stopper” Shakes are also available to go. In addition to these creative sweets, Deavynne is working on some beautiful plated desserts that will debut in September in conjunction with a seasonal menu rollout at ZuZu.