Leading Ladies of World Cuisine 2004
Sherry Yard
Spago
Los Angeles , USAAs executive pastry chef at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant Spago Beverly Hills , Sherry has created desserts for the Grammy Awards, the Emmy Awards, and the Academy Awards. Sherry also wrote the best selling “Secrets of Baking” and is one of America 's most high profile pastry chefs.
Sherry will be hosted by Chef de Cuisine Kosta Ganotis , Conservatory at Crown.
Sherry Yard's indomitable spirit has delivered her from Brooklyn to Beverly Hills via some of the country's greatest restaurants, including the Rainbow Room, Montrachet, Tribeca Grill and San Francisco's Campton Place.
Since beginning at Spago in 1994, Sherry's incomparably innovative desserts have played leading rolls at the Academy Awards Governor's Ball, the Grammy Awards and the Emmy Awards. Rising to her current role as Wolfgang Puck's Executive Pastry Chef, Sherry's responsibilities now range from creating menus to opening restaurants to mentoring staff in kitchens from Tokyo to Orlando. Her creative influences as author, food stylist and chef have elevated the sweet side of Wolfgang Puck's empire.
Wednesday and Sunday mornings you'll find Sherry at the Farmer's Market, discussing availability and ripeness with local farmers. As a friend and forager, Sherry composes menus in collaboration with California's seasons and almost exclusively with California products. She is continually seeking out new ingredients and testing new methods and techniques. " I continue to be inspired by other talents and learn new things daily just by virtue of waking up and appreciating what surrounds me."
In 1999, Sherry was named the Southern California Restaurants Writers' Association's Pastry Chef of The Year . In 2000 Bon Appetit magazine named Sherry the Food and Entertaining Awards Pastry Chef of the Year , and in 2002 the James Beard Foundation named Sherry as the Outstanding Pastry Chef of the year. Accolades for her work abound in every possible media venue, from Vogue and Gourmet to Good Morning America to newspapers around the globe. Put to the test in a live arena, Sherry validated her competence by winning the Iron Chef America battle with Wolfgang Puck against Japanese Master Chef Morimoto.
Alongside her faultless taste and impeccable aesthetic, Sherry brings a very human side to the culinary world. She serves on the board of numerous philanthropic organizations and is a driving force of the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), which educates inner-city children and gives scholarships to culinary schools. She is also personally involved in the Cedars-Sinai Children's and Women's Cancer Foundations.
Sherry's first book, " The Secrets of Baking ", published by Houghton Mifflin in 2003, is a sell-out hit on the Home Shopping Network. It was nominated for the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Julia Child Award for First Book , and won the James Beard Foundation's KitchenAid Award for Best Baking Book . Considered a masterpiece, it adheres to serious, important and knowledgeable approach while remaining consistently clear, comprehensive and fun to read. Sherry's forthcoming title, " Desserts by the Yard ", to be released by Houghton Mifflin in 2006, will trace her sweet life from Brooklyn to Beverly Hills through desserts. Stay tuned!
For more information on the Masters of Australian Food and Wine email Scott Webster scott@culinary.com.au
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