Nancy Silverton

The Trajectory

Culinary formation in the classical register often starts before the first major kitchen post. Nancy Silverton studied at Sonoma State University, then at Le Cordon Bleu and Ecole Lenotre Culinary Institute, before entering Los Angeles restaurant pastry at Michael’s in Santa Monica, California, in 1979. By 1982, the Opening Pastry Chef role at Spago in Los Angeles, California, placed that training in a high-visibility service context where pastry had to operate as part of the restaurant’s identity, not as an afterthought. Restaurant pastry and bread work became a broader operating model in 1989 with the co-founding of Campanile in Los Angeles, where Nancy Silverton served as Head Pastry Chef until 2007. The same year, La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles gave that work a production and retail dimension; Silverton co-founded and managed it from 1989 to 2001, during a period when artisan bread was becoming a more visible part of American food culture. Her later roles continue across related formats: co-owner and leader at Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza since 2007, chi SPACCA since 2013, Culinary Ambassador for Farmhouse food and event space since 2019, and co-owner of Max & Helen's beginning in 2025.

Current Practice

Italian technique filtered through California sourcing remains the working frame at Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, and chi SPACCA, where Nancy Silverton is co-owner and chef. The craft emphasis is not novelty for its own sake; it is the management of tradition, product, and restaurant format across mozzarella, pizza, pasta, and meat-centered cooking. At Osteria Mozza, the noted point of distinction is the blend of traditional Italian techniques with California’s seasonal produce. That kind of cooking depends on restraint: enough structure to respect the source cuisine, enough responsiveness to let the market shape the plate.

Career - Co-Owner & Chef — Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles, California (2007–present) - Co-Owner & Chef — Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles, California (2007–present) - Co-Owner & Chef — chi SPACCA, Los Angeles, California (2013–present) - Culinary Ambassador — Farmhouse food and event space, Ojai, California (2019–present) - Co-Owner — Max & Helen's, Los Angeles, California (2025–present) - Pastry Chef — Michael's, Santa Monica, California (from 1979) - Opening Pastry Chef — Spago, Los Angeles, California (from 1982) - Co-Founder and Head Pastry Chef — Campanile, Los Angeles, California (1989–2007) - Co-Founder and Manager — La Brea Bakery, Los Angeles, California (1989–2001) Education: Sonoma State University; Le Cordon Bleu; Ecole Lenotre Culinary Institute

Accolades

Peer recognition has followed the same range of work: pastry, restaurants, hospitality, television, and long-term industry impact. Nancy Silverton 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. The through-line is durable craft across formats. Silverton’s record is built through pastry stations, bread production, restaurant ownership, Italian technique, and the practical discipline of keeping those forms legible to guests and useful to the trade.

FAQ What does Nancy Silverton do now? Nancy Silverton is