Karen Krasne: A Pastry Chef and Entrepreneur Talks About Her Career of Extraordinary Desserts

Pastry Arts Podcast

Karen Krasne is the owner and Executive Pastry Chef of Extraordinary Desserts and the author of Extraordinary Cakes: Recipes for Bold and Sophisticated Desserts, which is in its third printing. Once called the “Queen of Cakes” by Gourmet magazine, Karen brings a fresh and contemporary sensibility to special occasion cakes. What makes her cakes showstoppers are their unexpected flavor combinations and vibrant touches using fresh fruit and real flowers, which add flair without being fussy.

Karen’s cakes have graced the cover of Bon Appetit, and Forbes recognized her as one of the country’s ten best pastry chefs. Karen has been featured in The New York Times, Sunset, and The Los Angeles Times, among other national and international publications. Karen is an industry veteran having been in the industry for over 30 years. She studied pastry making at the Cordon Bleu and returns to Paris, France each year to train with the masters at LeNotre and Bellouet Conseil.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Karen first became interested in pastry
• Her European training
• Why she decided to start her own business
• Her signature items at Extraordinary Desserts
• Her inspiration and process for creating new recipes
• Karen’s priority of hiring and nurturing women employees
• Writing her book, Extraordinary Cakes
• Her thoughts on the latest pastry trends and the next generation of pastry chefs
• And much more!

Episode Sponsored by

Dobla - IRCA

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