Karen Krasne is the owner and Executive Pastry Chef of Extraordinary Desserts and the author of Extraordinary Cakes: Recipes for Bold and Sophisticated Desserts, which is in its third printing. Once called the “Queen of Cakes” by Gourmet magazine, Karen brings a fresh and contemporary sensibility to special occasion cakes. What makes her cakes showstoppers are their unexpected flavor combinations and vibrant touches using fresh fruit and real flowers, which add flair without being fussy.
Karen’s cakes have graced the cover of Bon Appetit, and Forbes recognized her as one of the country’s ten best pastry chefs. Karen has been featured in The New York Times, Sunset, and The Los Angeles Times, among other national and international publications. Karen is an industry veteran having been in the industry for over 30 years. She studied pastry making at the Cordon Bleu and returns to Paris, France each year to train with the masters at LeNotre and Bellouet Conseil.
As a woman pastry chef, Karen is passionate about continuing to foster talented women within the industry. She has many women chefs and colleagues within her two San Diego Extraordinary Dessert locations and hosts in-store classes for the community. In her spare time she enjoys traveling the world and spending time with her husband and daughter.
In this episode we discuss:
- How Karen first became interested in pastry
- Her European training
- Why she decided to start her own business
- Her signature items at Extraordinary Desserts
- Her inspiration and process for creating new recipes
- Karen’s priority of hiring and nurturing women employees
- Writing her book, Extraordinary Cakes
- Her thoughts on the latest pastry trends and the next generation of pastry chefs
- And much more!
Episode Sponsored by
Dobla – IRCA
We know pastry chefs are busy. Ordering from Dobla and IRCA means not having to make everything from scratch, and instead spending time assembling final products for sale. It means getting more products in one place, which cuts down on the time spent browsing catalogs, placing orders and visiting with sales representatives. That means you spend less time focused on the business and more time on the thing you love: creating succulent sweets and savories that will keep your customers coming back for seconds. For more information, visit www.dobla.com.
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