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| November 20, 2008 02:57 AM | ||||||||||||||||
PASTRYSCOOP.COM'S SPRING 2006 CONFERENCE
Carina Ahlin
Born and raised in Hedemora, Sweden, Ahlin brings with her a vast experience in fusion cooking as well as an extensive knowledge of Swedish ingredients. Before joining Aquavit in March 2005, Ahlin worked with renowned baker Johan Sorberg at his famous Stockholm bakery, Riddarbageriet. Prior to that, Ahlin worked with Aquavit's executive chef Nils Norén at Restaurants Riche and KB, both in Stockholm. She also served as pastry chef at Solsiden, a seafood restaurant in Oslo, Norway. Ahlin draws inspiration from nature and from fresh seasonal ingredients, resulting in desserts that are both light in feel and innovative in presentation. David Arnold
Dave Arnold grew up in the Ron Ben-Israel
Ron Ben-Israel started his confectionery adventure towards the end of a successful fifteen-year career as a professional ballet/modern dancer, during which he performed with dance companies on three continents. Studies and work in Canada and France led him to establish his specialty cake business in New York City. Ben-Israel has been featured in many publications, including the New York Times, In Style, Town and Country, and countless bridal magazines. His television credits include "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Good Morning America," and "Martha Stewart Living." He is also visiting master pastry chef-instructor at The French Culinary Institute specializing in wedding cake decorating and sugar flowers. Richard Bies
Growing up near Atlanta, Richard Bies has worked in kitchens since the age of 15. He began an undergraduate pre-med program but halfway through, changed course to pursue a culinary degree from the Art Institute of Atlanta. He worked as pastry chef de partie at the Ritz-Carlton (Buckhead, GA), executive pastry chef at the Omni (Atlanta), and executive pastry chef of the Four Seasons Hotel (Atlanta). Bies then traveled as a pastry chef/consultant for independent facilities and pastry shops in Asia and the Caribbean, finally landing in San Franciscoin 2002 to become executive pastry chef of the Fairmont Hotel. Next, he helped open the Spiced Pear restaurant at the boutique hotel Chanler at Cliff Walk in Newport, RI. After a successful stint, Bies was invited to work with celebrity chef David Burke as executive pastry chef of Manhattan's davidburke & donatella restaurant. Tina Casaceli
Chef Tina Casaceli grew up in Rochester, New York where she began her culinary experience in a family-owned establishment. After earning an Associates of Culinary Arts degree from The Culinary Institute of America, she worked as a pastry chef at various New York City restaurants, including Le Comptoir, Mad 61, and Burke & Burke. As an independent consultant, Chef Tina advised restaurants on how to develop pastry menus, update, and change existing menus, and restructure pastry kitchens. She joined The French Culinary Institute in 1996 where she currently heads the Classic Pastry Arts program. In addition to teaching, Chef Tina owns her specialty pastry and cake business Pastries by Tina. Jürgen David
Chef Jürgen David started his career with a three-year apprenticeship as a confectioner and became certified by The Viennese Commission of Confectioners and by The Society of Viennese Hoteliers. He has worked in establishments throughout Austria, including Restaurant Himmel and the renown Hotel Sacher, as well as in Switzerland and Norway. Chef Jürgen joined The French Culinary Institute team directly from Europe in April of 1997 and is currently a senior pastry chef-instructor. Gina DePalma
Born in New York and raised in Virginia, Gina DePalma credits her close-knit Italian family for instilling in her a love and understanding of good food using the best ingredients. Her training began at home and continued with her graduation in 1994 from the professional culinary program at the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kump's New York Cooking School). After completing an apprenticeship in the pastry kitchen of Chanterelle, she went on to work at Gramercy Tavern before becoming the pastry chef at The Cub Room. In 1998, Chef Mario Batali hired DePalma to open Babbo Ristorante and Enoteca where her creativity shines forth through the marriage of seasonal ingredients with traditional Italian desserts.In addition to her many television and print appearances, DePalma's numerous accolades include nominations for Outstanding Pastry Chef by the James Beard Foundation in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006. Her first cookbook will be published by W.W. Norton & Co. this year. Philippe Gatto
A native of France, Philippe Gatto earned his CAPs (certificates of professional aptitude) in baking and pastry following a three year apprenticeship in the city of Marseille. After working in a tea salon in Montpellier, he returned to Marseille in 1990 to open his first boulangerie patisserie. The shop became known throughout the city for its freshly baked baguettes and elegant pastries, and two years later, Gatto opened a second location. In 1999, he followed a lifelong dream to move to New York, opening a French café in the heart of the East Village that sold fine pastries, petits fours, and macaroons (all of which received glowing reviews from Florence Fabricant of The New York Times). Three years later, Gatto opened a wholesale business that provided pastries to high-end hotels and restaurants, later leaving the business to become production manager of Tom Cat Bakery. Gatto recently joined the team of Le Pain Quotidien, a Belgian bakery which uses only natural and organic ingredients. Michael Laiskonis
A native of Michigan, Michael Laiskonis initially trained in the visual arts at Wayne State University. Without a formal culinary degree, Laiskonis started baking professionally as a college student while working in a friend's bakery. He went on to serve as pastry chef and sous chef under Rick Halberg at Emily's in Northville, Michigan, before going to Tribute in 1997, where he started as a line cook before becoming the pastry chef, a position he held for five years until coming to Le Bernardin in 2004. At Le Bernardin, Laiskonis is finding the perfect venue where he can express through the alchemy of his unique desserts his interests in the arts, architecture, and science. Among his numerous honors, Laiskonis was named one of the 10 Best Pastry Chefs in America in 2002 and 2003 by Pastry Art and Design. Le Bernardin was awarded a four-star review by the New York Times in 2005. Most recently, the Michelin Guide New York City 2006 gave Le Bernardin three stars, its most prestigious honor. Alisha Lumea and Avril Pendergast-Fischer
Prior to opening CocoaVino, Alisha Lumea and Avril Pendergast-Fischer worked together at an international humanitarian aid and development agency in New York. Their combined fifteen years of experience in aid and development have shown them first-hand that the choices we make as consumers affect farmers in our own backyard and in the developing world. CocoaVino sources all ingredients with respect for the environment, the physical and economic well-being of workers, and your health. Alisha Lumea holds a Grand Diplôme from The French Culinary Institute's Classic Pastry Arts program, graduating in the spring of 2004. Avril Pendergast-Fischer attended The French Culinary Institute's Fundamentals of Wine program and the Sommelier Society of America, completing her studies in the winter of 2004. In 2005, they combined their passions for chocolate and wine to launch CocoaVino. Sam Mason
Sam Mason was born in Jacksonville, Florida and trained at Johnson and Wales in Providence, Rhode Island. After graduation, he did a stage with pastry legend Pierre Hermé at Ladurée in Paris. On his return to the states, he worked at the Park Avenue Café and with the late Jean Louis Palladin at Napa in Las Vegas and Palladin in New York. Prior to the opening of wd~50, Mason was the pastry chef at Union Pacific and Atlas. His desserts combine many ingredients from the world of savory ingredients with some of the more traditional techniques and ingredients associated with confection, resulting in a completely unique style that revitalizes both the palate and the eye. Mason is also a guest pastry chef faculty member at The French Culinary Institute where his lessons focus on dessert plating techniques. He was named one of the 10 Best Pastry Chefs by Pastry Art & Design in 2005 and was recently nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef by the James Beard Foundation in 2006. John Miele
Growing up, John Miele had two dreams. One was to be a professional football player and the other was to be a chef. But after just one semester of football, he realized his passion was pastry after all. John left college to study culinary arts at Cobleskill, a small school outside Albany, New York, and then enrolled in the pastry arts program at The Art Institute of New York (formerly The New York Restaurant School). When it came time to extern, John chose Aureole. Upon completing a stellar externship and graduation in 1997, John was offered a full-time position. Always eager to acquire more pastry training and knowledge, John left Aureole in 1999 to hone his skills with renowned chefs François Payard and Michael London. With them he learned to incorporate French techniques with his American desserts. After successfully completing these stages, in 2002 John returned to Aureole where he is currently the pastry chef. Deborah Racicot
Deborah Racicot's fascination with food began during her childhood in Vermont, spent surrounded by homegrown produce and a family that loved to cook, and developed into a passion that would lead her to some of the country's finest restaurants. After working in the front of the house during college and for a year as pastry chef of Italia in Seattle, she moved to New York to continue her culinary education under Claudia Fleming (Gramercy Tavern) and Richard Leach (La Cote Basque). Racicot was soon hired by Marcus Samuelsson to be pastry chef of Aquavit and then joined Picholine at the invitation of Terrence Brennan, where she worked for four years. As pastry chef of Gotham, she constantly creates new additions to keep her menu fresh. "Desserts go in and out of style, kind of like fashion. I watch for these changes. I want my pastries to be the flawless ending to an impeccable meal." Vicki Wells
Appointed the executive pastry chef of Bobby Flay's perennially popular restaurants Mesa Grill and Bolo in 2000 and Bar Americain in 2005, Vicki Wells has an impressive and varied background. Inspired by the legendary Madeline Kammen, Wells left Emerson College to study under one of Kammen's former instructors at the Cambridge Culinary Institute. She then went abroad to study with the French masters at La Varenne and staged at Michel Rostang in Paris and Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. In the ensuing years, she gained experience in some of New York City's finest restaurants including Hotel Plaza Athenée, Montrachet, and Le Bernardin to name a few. In 1993, Wells became an instructor at The French Culinary Institute and was soon named the co-chairperson of the pastry arts department. For six years, she inspired students before beginning her collaboration with Flay. During this time, she also wrote a series of cookbooks called Hollywood Hotplates for Abbeville Press. In 2002 and 2003, Wells was named one of the 10 Best Pastry Chefs in America by Pastry Art & Design. |
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