About Me
Jill met her future husband and business partner Stephen while attending the Culinary Institure of America, beginning a friendship that would later blossom into love and marriage. After completing the program at the CIA (and doing her externship at the famed Boca Raton Resort in Florida), Jill accepted a fellowship position at the school. During the next year, Jill learned a multitude of new ideas and techniques, and honed the skills she had already learned in school. Soon, she and Stephen moved to San Francisco to see the culinary experiences of the west coast…
Stephen started a culinary arts program at his high school and quickly fell in love with professional cooking. Stephen left for the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York where he flourished in the educational atmosphere. The highlight of Stephen’s career at the CIA, was being chosen by Food & Wine Magazine as one of the ‘Top 10 Student Chefs of 2003’ (and the only pastry student). During his time at the CIA, he completed his externship at Citizen Cake in San Francisco. He fell in love with the city, and he and Jill decided to move west after graduating.This had a profound effect on them, as they learned about the simplicity and freshness of California cuisine, as well as the cultures of organics, sustainability, and the farm-chef connection. After a brief stint at the restaurant Butterfly, Jill worked under pastry chef Marika Shimamoto-Doob at Hawthorne Lane. When Marika left a year later, Jill took over the pastry chef position. Jill gained valuable experience in the managerial side of the kitchen by being responsible for hiring, firing, ordering, and scheduling. Jill also had the opportunity to teach the ever-popular cooking classes once a month at the restaurant, and her famous apple pie demonstration was profiled in the Oakland Tribune after one such class.Stephen got a job at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, and worked under pastry chefs Celine Plano and Gillian Baggen during his time there. At the Ritz, Stephen learned French pastry techniques, and eventually became skilled and knowledgeable in all aspects of the hotel pastry kitchen. Stephen also learned the legendary Ritz-Carlton customer service methods, which had a profound impact on his perception of how businesses should be run.
After two and a half years, Jill and Stephen decided to open their own business. Before they opened though, they spent saved money to travel through Europe. They visited Spain, Italy, and Austria (among other countries) tasting, cooking, and gathering ideas. They concluded their trip by spending over a month in Paris, learning about pastry, food and wine. They visited literally dozens and pastry shops and bakeries in Paris, the culinary capital of the world.Stephen and Jill shared a passion for pastry, so they decided to open their own neighborhood bakery utilizing the skills and knowledge of their collective experience. Together, Stephen and Jill have almost twenty years of professional experience, and they look forward to the challenge and rewards of starting The Sweet Life Bakery.
