About Kate

Kate Zuckerman, the Pastry Chef at Chanterelle since 1999, is guided by an overriding belief in the centrality of simple, pure, complementary flavors. Her creations – featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients, cleanly executed design, and textural contrasts – have made her one of the most acclaimed pastry chefs of her generation.

“My desserts are derived from my experiences with food throughout my life,” says Zuckerman. “What may seem like a complicated plated dessert is often a dressed up version of a simple pleasure from my past. I cannot forget the rice pudding I had in India; I love to stroll through orchards at the peak of fall and pick and crunch down on a Macoun apple; I cannot get the scent of a ripening guava out of my head; I must watch and smell a golden quince as it cooks and transforms itself into an aromatic compote with a lustrous rose color. These sensual and gastronomic experiences drive my conception of a tart, cake or crème.”

In 2005, Zuckerman was named one of the ten best pastry chefs in America by Pastry Art & Design and Chocolatier magazines. Zuckerman’s desserts, which were described by The New York Times as a “life-changing experience,” have earned her extravagant praise from every major critic in the New York area.

Formerly the pastry chef at Picholine in New York and Firefly in San Francisco, Zuckerman began her culinary apprenticeship in Boston under Lydia Shire at Biba and Rick Katz at The Bentonwood Bakery. She subsequently worked in the kitchens of top restaurants in San Francisco, Paris and New York. She holds a degree in cultural anthropology from Princeton.

Bullfinch Press, a division of Little, Brown, will publish her debut cookbook, The Sweet Life: Desserts from Chanterelle, in fall 2006. Featuring a full range of her flavor-focused recipes, The Sweet Life provides a deep understanding of the techniques of the pastry kitchen, while enriching the reader’s experience with detailed notes on the science of desserts, histories of Zuckerman’s most beloved ingredients, and tips on how to use the five senses to produce the most delectable desserts.