Hannah Ziskin

The Path

Pastry work at Bar Tartine in San Francisco gave Hannah Ziskin an early platform for a style that favors seasonality, contrast, and restraint. The desserts read as deliberate rather than ornate: familiar forms adjusted just enough to keep the palate alert. That approach carries through to House of Gluten, which she founded in 2018, and to Quarter Sheets in Los Angeles, where she works as Pastry Chef and co-owner.

The Work Today

At Quarter Sheets, the pastry program sits on timing and ingredient fit. Hannah Ziskin has described looking for produce that arrives together, or nearly together, so the pairing feels earned rather than forced. “I look for things that grow together at the same time or have just a tiny bit of overlap. Blood oranges and strawberries are one of my favorite things to put together.” The point is not novelty for its own sake, but balance: bright fruit, measured sweetness, and combinations that stay legible while still shifting the plate off center.

Signature

Hannah Ziskin’s signature dishes include slab cakes, princess cakes, and fruit custard tarts. The range shows a baker working across scale and structure, from generous sheeted desserts to composed tarts, while keeping the emphasis on season, texture, and clean construction. The throughline is control without stiffness: cakes that hold shape, custards that stay supple, and fruit used as a structural part of the dessert rather than garnish.

In Their Words “I look for things that grow together at the same time or have just a tiny bit of overlap. Blood oranges and strawberries are one of my favorite things to put together.” “Desserts don’t have to be what they always are.”

Acclaim

Hannah Ziskin has received Food & Wine, Best New Chefs (2023). Hannah Ziskin has been named a James Beard Semifinalist and a Food & Wine Best New Chef. Those recognitions reflect a practice that is exacting without being fussy, and grounded in a clear point of view: desserts built around seasonality, contrast, and enough surprise to keep the form from settling into routine.