“I have focused on the pastry kitchen for most of my career, and after shifting some of my attention on the savory kitchen, now I am even more interested in breaking down some of the culinary barriers that exist between these two categories of cuisine.”
Hard work, determination and a unique vision have made Elizabeth one of the most celebrated pastry chefs in the United States and influential food professionals in the Bay Area. Citizen Cake is located in San Francisco's eclectic and vibrant Hayes Valley. “I am working with my sous chefs in savory the same way I work with my sous chefs in pastry. We utilize the abundance of high quality products the Bay Area has to offer and we apply what we learn from tasting the familiar and the exotic or foreign; then we throw in a little high tech, once in a while. We strive to make great food with our own stories or signatures.”
Before opening her own business, Elizabeth worked for Drew Nieporent's Rubicon having been hand-picked by Chef Traci Des Jardins to head the restaurant's pastry division in 1994. Elizabeth began her professional cooking career in 1990 as the Chef of Café Claude, moving quickly into the pastry department at Masa’s, under Chef Julian Serrano. By 1993, Elizabeth became the pastry chef at Elka/Miyako Hotel before moving on to Rubicon.
Recognizing the need for a contemporary, quality pastry shop in the Bay Area, Elizabeth opened the first Citizen Cake in south of Market section of San Francisco in October 1997 before moving to the present location in May 2000. Citizen Cake is a retail patisserie featuring contemporary cakes, chocolates, breads, pastries and ice creams all made in house. Citizen Cake is also Elizabeth’s imaginative restaurant and bar, serving brunch, lunch and dinner.
Named “Rising Star Chef” by San Francisco Chronicle 1995 and “a chef to look for in the future” by Condé Nast Traveler, 1996. In August 1999, she graced the cover of San Francisco Magazine as “Pastry Chef of the Year”. Elizabeth was featured as one of the 10 best pastry chefs in America in Bon Appetit, September 2003 and has also been featured in Pastry Art and Design, Gourmet, Food and Wine, Travel and Leisure and Epica-Japan’s travel magazine.
In the fall of 2003, Elizabeth received the “Golden Bowl” award from the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs for best Pastry Chef and women who inspire. In May 2004, Elizabeth received an award among 9 other remarkable women from Organic Style Magazine for an annual feature, “Women With Substance and Style”. In 2005, Elizabeth was a nominee for a James Beard Award for Best Pastry Chef. Elizabeth also received the Charles M. Holmes Award in 2005 from The Human Rights Campaign for distinguished service to the LGBT community
Television appearances include: Iron Chef America, Tyler’s Ultimate, Rachel Ray’s $40 a Day, Sugar Rush, Best Of, Bay Café, and more.
Elizabeth has cooked at the James Beard House in New York, the Masters of Food and Wine in Carmel, CA., Chefs’ Holidays at the Awahnee, Yosemite and has prepared desserts in Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Amsterdam. She has also taught professional pastry courses all over Japan in 2001-2002 and consulted on pastry for “ Barilla” in Parma, Italy in 2002-2003.
In the summer of 2005, Elizabeth stepped back into the savory side of the restaurant at Citizen Cake.
While Elizabeth is known for her pastry, she is thrilled to focus on the savory side. She and her team of cooks have remodeled all of the menus for lunch, dinner and brunch to reflect the balance and edge that her dessert menus are known for.
A native San Franciscan, Elizabeth graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts in 1989.
Elizabeth is a proud member of the following organizations:
The James Beard Foundation
Women Chefs and Restaurateurs
Les Dames D’Escoffier
Golden Gate Restaurant Association
Frameline, Board of Directors
Human Rights Campaign
Citizen Cake
399 Grove Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
p 415-861-2228 f 415-861-0565
www.citizencake.com
Citizen Cupcake
2 Stockton Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108
