Presented by:
Chef Gale Gand,
Executive pastry chef, Tru; TV Host, Food Network; Cookbook author

Podcast courtesy of WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified

When we invite our culinary luminaries to speak before our group, we always ask them to jot down a few lines about their topic, and then we write up the program flyer. When Chicago’s venerable pastry artiste Gale Gand sent us her notes, we decided not to change one sweet word. Gale served up the following: “How about if I talk about the vintage cookbooks, pamphlets and ephemera I own that influence my work as a pastry chef, plus some culinary history such as the story of the invention of the Pavlova? Also, my theory on how woman’s creativity went into their cooking, especially Jello molds, since they weren’t in the work force? Then I can talk about my background.”

Sounds like a luscious cakewalk through pastry history, n’est ce pas? And our volunteers have cooked up several samples from Gale’s own recipes to serve after she sweet talks us. Gale will also sign copies of her more recent books, which will be available for purchase.

BIOGRAPHY: Gale Gand, executive pastry chef and partner of the Five Diamond, four-star restaurant TRU in Chicago, was named pastry chef of the year by The James Beard Foundation and Bon Appétit magazine in 2001. Host of the Food Network’s “Sweet Dreams,” Gale has appeared on “Iron Chef America”, “Martha Stewart”, Baking With Julia (Child)”, and judged Bravo’s “Top Chef.” Gale is also an accomplished cookbook author with seven titles to her credit including “Chocolate and Vanilla” and her most recent, “Gale Gand’s Brunch.” She also has her own root beer company producing “Gale’s Root beer”. She earned a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology, and attended culinary school at La Varenne in Paris. Gale is married to an environmentalist, has a 13-year-old named Gio and twin 5-year-old girls, Ella and Ruby.

Program hosted at Kendall College.