Emily Luchetti

Chief Jam Officer (CJO) & Chief Chocolate Officer (CCO)

A part of the American culinary revolution starting in the 1980s, Emily helped define what great pastry means in America. Emily attended The New York Restaurant School in New York City. After working on the line in restaurants in New York and in France she moved to California and joined the opening team at Jeremiah Tower’s Stars in San Francisco, Emily switched to the sweet side of the kitchen at Stars and never looked back. She was the pastry chef at Stars for eight years, and with Tower, co-owned the retail bakery StarBake. After leaving Stars, Emily created the desserts at Farallon, Waterbar, and then for Big Night Restaurant Group (The Cavalier, Marlowe, Cow Marlowe, Petit Marlowe, Park Tavern, and Leo’s Oyster Bar) and participated in food events across the country.

Emily is the author of five dessert cookbooks-Stars Desserts (HarperCollins, 1991) which was nominated for a James Beard Award; Four Star Desserts (HarperCollins, 1995), A Passion for Desserts (Chronicle Books, 2003), A Passion for Ice Cream (Chronicle Books, 2006) winner of an IACP Cookbook Award; and The Fearless Baker (Little, Brown and Company, 2011). Her first two books were rereleased as Classic Stars Desserts (Chronicle Books, 2007). She also co-authored So Who’s Counting, The Little Quote Book about Getting Older and Still Kicking Ass (Andrew McMeel 2019).

Emily’s honors include the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef, the James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, the Women Chefs & Restaurateurs Golden Whisk Award, and Food Arts Magazine Silver Spoon Award. The San Francisco Chronicle chose Emily as one of the 20 Visionary Chefs in the Bay Area and she was inducted into the Culinary Pioneers of America. As one of the culinary icons of America, she also has a room named after her at The Inn at Little Washington.

Emily co-hosted the PBS cooking show, The Holiday Table, and has appeared on Jacques Pepin’s, Essential Pepin, Martha Stewart Living, numerous Food Network shows and news segments. She and her recipes have been widely profiled in newspapers and national magazines.

Emily is the founder of dessertworthy, a movement to empower people to be more mindful of their sugar and fat indulgences. Emily is passionate about teaching consumers how to bake as well as mentoring pastry cooks and chefs. She has served as a Dean at The International Culinary Center in New York and California and was Chairperson of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs. For nineteen years Emily was on the James Beard Foundation Board of Trustees with roles as Awards Committee Chair, Interim CEO, Vice-Chair, and Board Chair. She is the Treasurer and Secretary for The Briones Lions Club and is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier.

Emily currently sells her jams, chocolate bars, and other sweets at markets and pop- up stores. She is working on a book of prose and poetry about her life with food, ingredients, and the people who have inspired her. You can follow her on Social Media @emilyluchetti to stay up to date on her food and ranch life. She lives in Northern California with her husband, chickens, lambs, and llamas.