Amy Knoles

The Climb

Amy Knoles is pastry chef of Country Club of Detroit, a role she has held since 2010. Over that span, she has made pastry not simply a department of the kitchen, but a defining part of the dining experience. Her path into the profession is rooted in the domestic intimacy of baking with her mother, when time was scarce and the act of making something sweet carried its own kind of comfort and discipline. That early foundation still informs the way Knoles works: practical, attentive, and intent on creating desserts that feel both polished and familiar.

Today

Since 2010, Knoles has served as pastry chef at Country Club of Detroit, shaping the restaurant’s desserts with an approach that favors clarity over ornament. She prefers language that is direct and useful, especially describing what appears on the table: “I’d rather the servers describe how a dessert is made instead of using obscure terms that no one knows.” The remark feels of a piece with her style, which seems to value generosity over mystique and substance over fuss. Even the note about the kitchen’s recent success arrives in that matter-of-fact register: “We just ran a rum baba that was a huge hit at a buffet a few months ago.” It is a glimpse of a pastry chef whose work is meant to be understood, enjoyed, and remembered without strain.

Career - pastry chef — Country Club of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Farms (2010–present)

Signature

Amy's signature dishes include rum baba and warm peach cake with poached pear and sorbet. Taken together, they suggest the contours of her pastry language: one dessert leaning into the comforting, spirited character of the classic rum baba, the other balancing fruit, warmth, and a cool counterpoint from sorbet. These are desserts that seem to reflect Knoles’s broader outlook—cleanly expressed, deeply rooted in the pleasure of recognizable flavors, and shaped with enough restraint to let each element feel distinct.

In Their Words “I’d rather the servers describe how a dessert is made instead of using obscure terms that no one knows.” “We just ran a rum baba that was a huge hit at a buffet a few months ago.”

FAQ What is Amy Knoles's current role? As of 2026, Amy Knoles is pastry chef. What recognition has Amy Knoles received? ACF Central Region Pastry Chef of the Year. What is Amy Knoles known for? Desserts.