contributors

Robert Wemischner

Pastry chef and culinary educator, Robert Wemischner has always been intrigued by the flavor potential of ingredients, from turmeric to tea and from cumin to coffee. Author of four books, most recently, "The Dessert Architect", Wemischner began his career to great media acclaim in the food business in the early 70’s as the owner of a pioneering gourmet-to-go shop in Beverly Hills. He then went on to open a similar operation in Baltimore and in the early 90’s returned to Los Angeles and began teaching the pastry and culinary arts in earnest. Drawing upon his exposure to classical cooking at a young age during informal apprenticeships to chefs in France, he has been imparting his knowledge to a diverse audience of students as a teacher of baking and pastry for the past 16 years at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. He has also vigorously pursued freelance food writing and has been a valued and regular contributor to "Sante", "Food Arts", "Angeleno", "Pastry Art and Design", and "Robb Report" magazines, among others, writing on a wide variety of food and food business-related subjects. He is also the author of "The Vivid Flavors Cookbook", a groundbreaking book about fusion cuisine, "Gourmet to Go" on the business of specialty food retailing, and "Cooking with Tea", an exploration of the culinary potential of the leaf. Over the past 25 years, Robert has presented on baking, pastry, and other food-related topics to professional organizations, including the International Association of Food Professionals, Retailers Bakery Association, and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, and continues to consult and present to food service professionals and media for companies such as Lipton Tea/Unilever and independent operations including start-ups in the baking, food service, and restaurant fields. He has also been guest chef on board Silversea Cruise lines to Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand, where he presented on tea, cooking with tea, and tea and food pairings and also escorted tours to tea manufacturing plants as part of the shore excursion programs. Most recently, he was the guest chef aboard Crystal Cruise lines' luxury trip through the Baltic; on board he lectured on desserts and cooking with tea and worked side by side with the ship's chefs to create a menu of his signature desserts with appropriate beverage pairings. He will be presenting on cooking with tea at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas in June.

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