Thank You Stephen!

(Stephen Durfee, pastry chef and host extraordinaire!)

For the past 5 days Jeff and I have been in the Bay Area promoting our book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

While we were traveling in California my dear friend Stephen Durfee, who happens to be a former teacher, my mentor and a James Beard winning pastry chef at The French Laundry, who is now teaching at the CIA, was our generous host and guide. He cooked for us, housed us, helped us make dough, introduced us to wonderful people and a couple of restaurants that were utterly mind boggling in their creativity and flavors. Ubuntu in Napa and Aziza in San Francisco are not to be missed by anyone traveling in the area. Both of which have inspired SO many ideas for desserts I will be sharing with you soon.

Let me not leave out Emily Luchetti who so generously lent us her pastry kitchen at Farallon to do our baking. She too has been an inspiration to me as a pastry chef from back when she was at Stars. It was an honor just to work in her space.

Not even 12 hours after coming home and unpacking, I am packed up and leaving again tomorrow morning. This time to Florida. Yes, Florida in July. Partly to promote the book on TV in Tampa, but most importantly to celebrate my grandmother’s 90th birthday!!!

Thank you all for your wonderful notes and questions while I have been away. I will continue to check in and write when I can.

Thanks! Zoë

Share this post