Jane Tseng

Growing up in the Washington, D.C., metro area, Tseng gravitated to the kitchen at an early age to watch her mother, who cooked lunch and dinner for the family from scratch every day. A fan of Julia Child and Gourmet, she started baking for family and friends in middle school. Although a non-profit job initially attracted her to San Francisco, a cooking career kept her on the West Coast. Tseng has worked at a series of San Francisco restaurants, honing her technique at Redwood Park, Aqua, Charles Nob Hill, and Frisson. She credits executive pastry chef Lionel Walter of Aqua as having the most significant impact on her technical development as a pastry chef.

Tseng has developed a personal style that reflects Italian tradition, French technique and California sensibility. She frequently using citrus, nuts, and in-season produce in desserts and gelato and seeks out ways to juxtapose flavors and textures. As she composes new dishes, she also looks for opportunities to add a touch of the unexpected: a pinch of crunchy sea salt or drizzle of olive oil, for example, in order to make her desserts memorable. Such touches, Tseng believes, can change dessert from an option at the end of a meal to an integral part of the dining experience.