Emily helped define what great pastry means in America. After attending culinary school and working at Jeremiah Tower’s legendary Stars in San Francisco, Emily switched to the sweet side of the kitchen at Stars and never looked back. She was the pastry chef there for eight years and owned the retail bakery StarBake. Emily also created the desserts at Farallon, Waterbar, and for Big Night Restaurant Group (The Cavalier, Marlowe, Cow Marlowe, Petit Marlowe, Park Tavern, and Leo’s Oyster Bar).
Emily has authored many books on the subject of pastry, including Stars Desserts (Harper Collins, 1991) and A Passion for Ice Cream (Chronicle Books, 2006), which won an International Association of Culinary Professionals award. Emily’s honors include the Women Chefs & Restaurateurs Golden Whisk Award, the Food Arts Magazine Silver Spoon Award, the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and the James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America. The San Francisco Chronicle chose Emily as one of the 20 Visionary Chefs in the Bay Area, and she was inducted into the Culinary Pioneers of America.
She is the founder of dessertworthy, a movement to empower people to be more mindful of their sugar and fat indulgences. Emily is passionate about teaching and mentoring chefs and restaurateurs. She served as a Dean at The International Culinary Center in New York and California, and Chairperson of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs.
Currently, Emily serves on the James Beard Foundation Board of Trustees. She is an ambassador for Oxfam Sisters on the Planet and a Les Dames d’Escoffier International member. She is the food columnist for The Point Reyes Light. She sells her seasonal jams, chocolate bars, and other sweets at markets and pop-up stores. She is working on a book of prose and poetry about her life in food, ingredients, and people who have inspired her. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @emilyluchetti to stay up to date on her food and ranch life. She lives in Northern California with her husband, chickens, lambs, and llamas.
