David Lebovitz

Photo by Greg Gorman

David received much of his training at Alice Waters' world-famous restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. He spent over twelve years in the pastry department working with Lindsey Shere, creating desserts to compliment the seasonal menus which changed each day to reflect the sustainability and beauty of the extraordinary fruits, nuts, and farm-fresh organic dairy products available at the restaurant.

David was named one of the "Top Five Pastry Chefs in the Bay Area" by the San Francisco Chronicle, and he's received critical acclaim in such publications as Bon Appétit, Chocolatier, Cooking Light, Food and Wine, Gourmet, Condé Nast Traveler, Cook's Illustrated, Newsweek, the New York Times, People, Saveur, Sunset and USA Today. David has appeared on both local and national television programs on PBS, the Discovery Channel and NBC's Today Show.

His first book, the best-selling Room For Dessert (HarperCollins), was honored as a finalist for an IACP/KitchenAid Cookbook Award. The New York Times called Room For Dessert "brilliantly appealing (with) recipes so good it becomes clear what a master baker he is" and the San Francisco Examiner hailed Room For Dessert as an "instant classic".

His highly-praised second book, Ripe For Dessert (HarperCollins), features sensational delicious classic and contemporary desserts with fruit.

David's book, The Great Book of Chocolate (Ten Speed), is the ultimate guide to the new and exciting world of chocolate. The Great Book of Chocolate was cited as one of the top books of the year by The New York Times and Food and Wine magazine.

The Perfect Scoop is the ultimate guide to ice cream and frozen desserts, and contains hundred of recipes for ice creams, sorbets, and granitas... plus all the deliciously gooey, nutty, and chocolaty things that get mixed inside and drizzled over the top.

His culinary education includes learning the art of chocolate at Callebaut College in Belgium and advanced coursework in baking and the art of confectionery at the renowned Ecole Lenôtre in Paris.

David is a popular and enthusiastic cooking instructor around the world.
His classes feature extraordinary and outstanding desserts that are easy to prepare for home cooks using the best seasonal ingredients.

In addition, David leads lively one-day Chocolate and Bakery Tours of Paris, as well as week-long chocolate tours of Europe, including France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy several time a year.