Nancy Silverton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nancy Silverton
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Silverton at St Mary's College in 2019
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| Born | June 20, 1954 |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States citizenship |
| Education | Le Cordon Bleu, London Ecole Lenotre Culinary Institute |
| Occupation | Chef Author |
| Years active | 1979 - present |
| Employer | Osteria Mozza Pizzeria Mozza |
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Notable work
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The Mozza Cookbook Breads from the LaBrea Bakery |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Outstanding Chef, James Beard Foundation Award (2014) Best of Food and Entertaining (1999) Bon Appétit Pastry Chef of the Year, James Beard Foundation (1990) |
Nancy Silverton (born June 20, 1954) is a famous American chef, baker, and author. She is known for making sourdough and special artisan breads popular in the United States. In 2014, she won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Chef, which is a very important award in the cooking world.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Nancy Silverton grew up in Southern California, in places like Sherman Oaks and Encino. Her mom, Doris, was a writer for a TV show called General Hospital. Her dad, Larry, was a lawyer.
Nancy first went to Sonoma State University to study political science. But during her first year, she had a big idea. She was cooking vegetarian food in her dorm kitchen when she realized, "This is what I want to do for the rest of my life!"
She left Sonoma State before finishing and decided to learn cooking properly. She went to Le Cordon Bleu in London. After graduating in 1979, she came back to California. She worked at a well-known restaurant called Michael's in Santa Monica. She was inspired by the chefs there and went back to Europe. She studied more at Ecole Lenotre Culinary Institute in France.
Cooking Career
After her studies in France, Nancy Silverton returned to Los Angeles in 1982. She was hired by famous chef Wolfgang Puck to be the first pastry chef at his restaurant, Spago. In 1986, she wrote her first cookbook, which was all about Desserts.
Campanile and La Brea Bakery
In 1989, Nancy Silverton, her husband at the time, Mark Peel, and Manfred Krankl opened a restaurant called Campanile. A famous food critic, Jonathan Gold, later said that Campanile helped change American cooking.
Right next to Campanile, Nancy and Mark also opened La Brea Bakery. Nancy was the main baker at the bakery and the head pastry chef at the restaurant. The bakery and restaurant were on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles.
Nancy didn't have much experience baking bread before this. She started trying out different recipes after reading about a special bakery in San Francisco. She used grapes to create natural yeast, letting them soak in flour and water for days. She then mixed the dough by hand and let it rise twice over two days. After six months and many tries, she finally got the recipe right.
At that time, special artisan bread was not well known in Los Angeles. But within weeks, La Brea Bakery was selling a lot of bread. On Thanksgiving in 1990, people lined up around the block to buy her bread!
Campanile was also very successful from the start. Nancy and Mark were already well known. The restaurant quickly became popular. Nancy would bake bread all night, then sleep a little. She would wake up to make pastries and desserts for the restaurant, then nap again before dinner.
In 1991, she won the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Pastry Chef award. This award showed how much she had changed desserts and bread in Los Angeles.
In 1992, Nancy and Manfred Krankl opened a much bigger commercial bakery. They made La Brea Bakery a separate business. Nancy became less involved with the bakery in 1993, mostly working as an advisor.
In 1996, she published her second book, Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery.
In 1998, Nancy started "Grilled Cheese Night" at Campanile. This became a very popular event in Los Angeles and even started a trend around the world. She is sometimes called the "godmother of grilled cheese sandwiches." Her book Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book came out in 2005.
In 2001, a company bought La Brea Bakery. Nancy earned a lot of money from the sale. She invested some of this money, but unfortunately, she lost it later on. In 2005, she and Mark Peel separated, and she left Campanile after their divorce in 2007. The restaurant closed in 2012.
Los Angeles Restaurants
Pizzeria Mozza
In 2007, Nancy Silverton teamed up with Joseph Bastianich to open Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. This pizzeria is known as one of the best in the country. It uses fresh California ingredients and has a very special crust. The crust is described as soft and chewy in some places, and crispy and charred in others. It is also slightly sweet and a little sour.
Osteria Mozza
After Pizzeria Mozza became a hit, Nancy and her team opened Osteria Mozza right next door. This restaurant focuses on fine dining and traditional Italian food, using fresh ingredients from California. The restaurant has a special white marble counter called the Mozzarella Bar. Guests can sit there and watch chefs prepare dishes with cheeses like mozzarella and burrata.
One year after opening, Osteria Mozza received a Michelin star. This is a very high honor for a restaurant. It still holds this star today. Osteria Mozza also has a green Michelin star, which means it is recognized for its efforts in sustainable cooking.
chi SPACCA
In 2013, Nancy opened chi SPACCA, which means "he (or she) who cleaves" in Italian. This restaurant was inspired by Nancy's idea of what an Italian butcher might cook for themselves. It started from popular family-style dinners that focused on salumi (cured meats).
chi SPACCA also created the first "dry cure" program in Los Angeles. This allowed them to make perfect Italian cured meats in their own kitchen. The restaurant is known for its "ode to meat," serving amazing meat dishes, flavorful fish, and fresh, caramelized vegetables.
Other Los Angeles Locations
- Pizzeria Mozza Newport Beach opened in 2012 but closed in 2024.
- Pizzette, a casual Italian restaurant with small pizzas, opened in Culver City, California in 2019 and closed in 2023.
- The Barish, located in Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, served modern Italian food. It closed in 2023.
Other US & International Restaurant Locations
Nancy Silverton's restaurants have also opened in other parts of the world:
- Pizzeria Mozza London opened in 2021.
- Mozza Baja opened in 2021 in Baja Mexico.
- Osteria Mozza Singapore opened in 2022.
- chi SPACCA Via Riyadh opened in 2023.
- Mozza DC is planned to open in 2024.
Nancy's Fancy
In June 2015, Nancy Silverton started her own line of luxury gelato and sorbetto called Nancy's Fancy. It has seven different flavors and is sold in supermarkets. The company started in Chatsworth, California, but later moved to a larger warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles.
The Farmhouse at Ojai Valley Inn
In 2019, Nancy Silverton became the Culinary Ambassador for The Farmhouse. This is a new food and event space in Ojai, California. As an ambassador, Nancy helps host events and participated in the first Ojai Food + Wine Festival.
Personal Life
Nancy Silverton helps mentor young pastry chefs at Short Cake Bakery. She helped her friend, Amy Pressman, open this bakery.
Since 2003, she has been a member of the Macy's Culinary Council. She also helps with the Meals on Wheels programs in different cities. Nancy often takes part in charity events to support organizations like Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, No Kid Hungry, and the Los Angeles Food Bank.
In 2023, Nancy started a podcast called "Three Ingredients" with her friends Ruth Reichl and Laurie Ochoa.
Nancy Silverton has three children. She has lived with Los Angeles journalist Michael Krikorian since 2003.
Awards and Recognitions
Nancy Silverton has received many important awards for her cooking:
- Eater's TV Chef of the Year (2017)
- Outstanding Chef, James Beard Foundation Award (2014)
- International Star Diamond Award for Outstanding Hospitality (2010)
- RCA Pioneer Award (2003)
- James Beard Outstanding Restaurant Award for Campanile (2001)
- James Beard "Who's Who in American Cooking" (1990)
- James Beard Best Pastry Chef of the Year (1990)
- Food & Wine Magazine, Best New Chefs (1990)
TV Appearances
Nancy Silverton has appeared on several TV shows:
- In 2017, she was featured on an episode of Chef's Table.
- She was a guest judge on Sugar Rush in 2018.
- She appeared in the "New York City" episode of Somebody Feed Phil.
- Nancy often appears on Top Chef as a judge.
- She was a judge on season seven of MasterChef Junior and season 11 of MasterChef.
- She has also been a judge on Tournament of Champions and Guy's Grocery Games.
- Silverton appeared on Hell's Kitchen as a guest and a judge.
- She is featured in the Masterclass short series G.O.A.T in an episode about Grilled Cheese.
