Elizabeth Falkner

Last updated
Elizabeth Falkner
Elizabeth Falkner in NY.jpg
Born1966 (age 56–57)
San Francisco, California, United States
Education San Francisco Art Institute
Culinary career
Cooking stylePioneering American, Italian, California, Globally Inspired, Responsible, Sustainable, Plant Forward, Pastry, Breads, Pizza Pastries, Cakes, and California
Previous restaurant(s)
  • *Citizen Cake, San Francisco (1997–2011),
    * Orson, San Francisco (2008–2011),
    * Krescendo, Brooklyn (2012–2013),
    * Corvo Bianco, New York City (2013–2014)
Television show(s)
  • * The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs (2011),
    * Tournament of Champions (2020–2022)
Website www.elizabethfalkner.com
Elizabeth Falkner (middle) and Scharffen Berger (2008) Elizabeth Falkner and Scharffen Berger (3964120058).jpg
Elizabeth Falkner (middle) and Scharffen Berger (2008)

Elizabeth Falkner (born 1966) is an American chef and restaurateur. She has appeared as a competitor and a judge on reality television cooking competitions, and she is a Top Chef television series alum.

Contents

Early life and education

Elizabeth Falker was born in 1966, in San Francisco, California, and raised in Southern California. [1] [2] Her father was an art professor. [2] Falkner graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1989 with a BFA degree. [2]

Career

Her first restaurant job was as a dishwasher at French bistro Cafe Claude in San Francisco. [2] She moved into French fine dining at Masa's with Chef Julian Serrano. In 1993, Falkner became the pastry chef at Elka in the Miyako Hotel, and in 1994 Falkner was the pastry chef under chef Traci Des Jardins at Drew Nieporent's restaurant Rubicon. [3]

Citizen Cake and Orson

In 1997, Falkner opened Citizen Cake, a dessert cafe at its first location in the Mission District at 82-14th Street, San Francisco in a partnership with coffee roaster Bob Vorhees. [2] [4] [5] It remained there until 2000 when she moved the restaurant to 399 Grove Street, in the Hayes Valley neighborhood. A second spinoff location of Citizen Cake was located in the Virgin Megastore on Market Street in San Francisco. [2] From 2010 to 2011, Citizen Cake moved to 2125 Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights before closing. [2]

The restaurant Orson was co-owned with partner Sabrina Riddle and opened in 2008 in SoMA at 508-4th Street, San Francisco. [6] Orson took two years and cost 4 million dollars to build and was designed by the Zack/de Vito firm. [2] However, in 2008, the same year as opening, there was a period of economic recession. [2] Orson closed after approximately three years in October 2011. [6] [7]

New York City

In 2011, Falkner closed both of her San Francisco establishments, Citizen Cake and Orson, and moved to New York, where she opened two short-lived Italian restaurants, Krescendo in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn from 2012 to July 2013; [8] [9] and Corvo Bianco on the Upper West Side from July 2013 to February 2014. [10] [11] [12]

In 2012, Falkner won first prize at the World Pizza Championship in Naples, Italy, with her "Finocchio Flower Power" pizza from Krescendo. [13]

Teaching and events

From 2001 to 2002, Falkner taught professional pastry courses in Japan; and, from 2002 to 2003, she was the chef on a team doing research for American/European pastries for Barilla in Parma, Italy.[ citation needed ]

She has cooked at the James Beard House in New York City; the Masters of Food and Wine in Carmel, California; and the Chef's Holiday at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park.[ citation needed ]

Television appearances

She has appeared in The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs (season 4, 2011, Food Network); [14] and The Next Iron Chef: Redemption (2012, Food Network); Chopped All Stars (Food Network); Top Chef Masters;Top Chef; Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo); Top Chef: Canada; and Food Network Challenge (Food Network).[ citation needed ]

In 2005, Falkner competed on Iron Chef America , Tyler's Ultimate, $40 a Day , Sugar Rush, Best Of, Bay Cafe, Top Chef-Pastry and others. In 2006, Falkner appeared as a guest judge on Top Chef , a reality show on the Bravo network.[ citation needed ]

In 2020, 2021, and 2022, Falkner competed on Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions (Food Network) seasons 1, 2, and 3. [15]

Personal life

Falkner identifies as lesbian. [16] [17] She is active in the LGBTQ community, and has done extensive work with Act Up and the Human Rights Campaign, receiving the Charles M. Holmes Award from the latter in 2005. [18] [ better source needed ]

Awards

Faulkner has received multiple awards and nominations, [2] [3] [19] and took first place at the 2012 World Pizza Championship in Naples Italy. [13]

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pastry chef</span> Chef skilled in the preparation of pastries

A pastry chef or pâtissier, is a station chef in a professional kitchen, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods. They are employed in large hotels, bistros, restaurants, bakeries, and some cafés.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Silverton</span> American chef, baker, and author (born 1954)

Nancy Silverton is an American chef, baker, and author. The winner of the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, Silverton is recognized for her role in popularizing sourdough and artisan breads in the United States.

<i>The Next Iron Chef</i> American cooking competition show

The Next Iron Chef is a limited-run series on the Food Network that aired its fifth season in 2012. Each season is a stand-alone competition to select a chef to be designated an Iron Chef, who will appear on the Food Network program Iron Chef America.

Jean-Philippe Maury is a French pastry chef, who currently owns iDessert in San Diego and oversees two pastry shops aboard a cruise ship.

Emily Underhill Luchetti is an American pastry chef, cookbook author, and educator. She is a 2004 James Beard award-winner for Outstanding Pastry Chef.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizzeria Bianco</span> Phoenix, Arizona pizza restaurant

Pizzeria Bianco is a pizza restaurant in downtown Phoenix, Arizona established in 1987 by Chris Bianco. It has earned positive reviews from notable food critics. Nationally recognized for its pizzas, the restaurant's small seating capacity can lead to wait times that sometimes surprise casual patrons. The restaurant features a wood-fired oven and homemade mozzarella cheese used in pizzas primarily fashioned by the owner himself. In 2013, the restaurant established a second location in the Biltmore Area of Phoenix. In 2022, the restaurant opened a third location, in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Yee</span> American chef, specializing in pastry

Jennifer Yee is an American chef, specializing in pastry. Born and raised in San Francisco, she worked in several pastry kitchens in some of New York's finest restaurants, including Lafayette in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan as Patissière, and The Grill in midtown Manhattan's Seagram Building, as the opening Pastry Chef, before becoming the Executive Pastry Chef for Chef Linton Hopkins' restaurants in Atlanta. Her work has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation in both New York and Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christina Tosi</span> American chef, author and TV personality

Christina Tosi is an American chef and cookbook author. She is founder and co-owner with Momofuku of Milk Bar and serves as its chef and chief executive officer. Food & Wine magazine included her in their 2014 list of "Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink".

Unique Sweets is an American television series on Cooking Channel about various eating establishments across the United States and their signature or most popular desserts. The series features interviews with guest pastry chefs and food critics who give commentary about their favorite dessert dishes. Each episode features a different restaurant, bakery or specialty sweet shop, focusing on one theme, such as ice-cream, cakes or pies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milk Bar (bakery)</span> Restaurant chain

Milk Bar is a chain of dessert and bakery restaurants in the United States, founded by chef Christina Tosi. As of 2023, the chain has branches in New York City; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas; and Bellevue, Washington.

Sherry Yard is an American chef, restaurateur and cookbook author.

Sarah Kirnon is a West Indian chef. Kirnon owned and operated Miss Ollie's, an Afro-Caribbean restaurant in Oakland, California, from 2012 until 2019, when she announced she would close the restaurant to reopen the space as a non-profit incubator for Black chefs, artists, musicians and other creators.

The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize culinary professionals in the United States. The awards recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists each year, and are generally scheduled around James Beard's May birthday.

The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize culinary professionals in the United States. The awards recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists each year, and are generally scheduled around James Beard's May birthday.

The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize culinary professionals in the United States. The awards recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists each year, and are generally scheduled around James Beard's May birthday.

The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize culinary professionals in the United States. The awards recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists each year, and are generally scheduled around James Beard's May birthday.

Mister Jiu's is a Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, San Francisco. It specializes in Cantonese cuisine blended with modern Californian twists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papa Haydn (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Papa Haydn is a restaurant with two locations in Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seastar Bakery</span> Defunct bakery in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Seastar Bakery was a bakery in Portland, Oregon, United States. Annie Moss and Katia Bezerra-Clark owned and operated the business, which shared a space with Handsome Pizza in northeast Portland's Vernon neighborhood starting in 2015. Seastar served breads, cookies, pastries, and toast, among other baked goods. Despite garnering a positive reception and being deemed one of the city's best bakeries by Eater Portland and Portland Monthly, Seastar closed in August 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Falkner, Elizabeth, 1966-". LOC. The Library of Congress.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Lucchesi, Paolo (2012-06-03). "Citizen Cake's Elizabeth Falkner leaving for N.Y." SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  3. 1 2 "One pot meal: Cocoa-dusted pommes frites from Elizabeth Falkner". ABC7 San Francisco. April 15, 2010. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  4. ↑ "Citizen Cake". Gourmet magazine. March 2002. Archived from the original on 2007-10-06.
  5. ↑ Adams, Paul (July 27, 1998). "Simple and Sweet Daytime Eats, Citizen Cake offers much more than just decadent desserts". Metro Active. Metro Publishing Inc. Archived from the original on 2006-08-16.
  6. 1 2 Alburger, Carolyn (2011-10-19). "Orson Out in SoMa, Charanga Closing on Mission, More". Eater SF. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  7. ↑ "Elizabeth Falkner Leaving for New York". SFGate. June 3, 2012.
  8. ↑ "The Elephant in Boerum Hill: Is Krescendo Cursed?". Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill, NY Patch. 2013-07-18. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  9. ↑ Wells, Pete (2013-01-22). "Secrets of the Glittering Pizza Oven". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  10. ↑ Hancock, Alexander (2013-07-15). "Elizabeth Falkner Makes Her Return at Corvo Bianco, Opening Tonight". Eater NY. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  11. ↑ Preston, Marguerite (2014-07-30). "Corvo Bianco Closes, Big Chef Rumored For Revamp". Eater NY. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  12. ↑ Morabito, Greg (2014-02-11). "Runaway Chef Elizabeth Falkner OUT at Corvo Bianco". Eater NY. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  13. 1 2 "Elizabeth Falkner and Her Winning Pizze Visit The Daily Meal". The Daily Meal. 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  14. ↑ Alburger, Carolyn (2011-09-19). "Elizabeth Falkner and Michael Chiarello to Battle in The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs, Season 4". Eater SF. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  15. ↑ "Tournament of Champions III: Battle Recap – Week 4". Guilty Eats. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  16. ↑ Bendix, Trish (August 21, 2017). "15 Lesbian Food Stars Who Serve It Up Hot | NewNowNext". Logo TV . Viacom Media Networks . Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  17. ↑ Riese (May 29, 2012). "15 Queers Cooking: Anne Burrell Joins Robust Legion of Lesbian Celebrity Chefs | Autostraddle". Autostraddle . The Excitant Group. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  18. ↑ "We Talked To 11 Out And Proud LGBT Leaders Of The Food Industry". Buzzfeed. 4 June 2017.
  19. ↑ Falkner, Elizabeth (January 29, 2019). "Bad Behavior Gets in the Way of Great Work". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.