Nancy Silverton

Nancy Silverton’s career in Los Angeles reflects the close link between pastry, bread, and restaurant craft, moving from formal training into roles that required both classical discipline and service-ready originality. She studied at Sonoma State University, Le Cordon Bleu, and Ecole Lenotre Culinary Institute before entering restaurant pastry work at Michael’s in Santa Monica in 1979. In 1982, she became Opening Pastry Chef at Spago in Los Angeles, where pastry had to function as part of the restaurant’s identity, not as an afterthought. Her work expanded in 1989 with the co-founding of Campanile in Los Angeles, where she served as Head Pastry Chef until 2007. That same year, she co-founded and managed La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles until 2001, bringing her craft into production and retail at a time when artisan bread was becoming more visible in American food culture. These overlapping roles established a career built on pastry stations, bread production, and the practical challenge of scaling artisan work without losing identity. Silverton’s later career continued across related formats. Since 2007, she has been co-owner and chef at Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles, and since 2013 she has held the same role at chi SPACCA. In 2019, she became Culinary Ambassador for Farmhouse food and event space in Ojai, and in 2025 she became co-owner of Max & Helen's in Los Angeles. Across these ventures, she has remained closely tied to Italian technique, with a focus on mozzarella, pizza, pasta, and meat-centered cooking. At Osteria Mozza, the work is marked by the blend of traditional Italian techniques with California’s seasonal produce, balancing structure with responsiveness to the market. Her career has also been recognized with major honors. She received the James Beard Best Pastry Chef of the Year in 1990, the James Beard Outstanding Restaurant Award in 2001, the International Star Diamond Award for Outstanding Hospitality in 2010, the Outstanding Chef award in 2014, Eater's TV Chef of the Year in 2017, and the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2026.