MOCAEATS: The Sweet Spot with Pichet Ong

Dessert Chef Pichet Ong discusses his passionate relationship with desserts and his Asian-inspired creations, with Charlotte Druckman, a writer for Travel + Leisure, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit and many other publications about food and chef culture, and author of a book titled Skirt Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat and Staying in the Kitchen.

This talk includes a tasting of Pichet’s signature desserts and book signing of his recipe book The Sweet Spot. Pichet has been named one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America by Pastry Arts & Design and Chocolatier, and was selected as a “Pastry Provocateur” by Food & Wine.

About Pichet Ong

Pichet combines the fond flavors of his childhood with modern cooking techniques to create culinary offerings that are seasonal, pure, light, and delightfully experimental, yet nostalgic.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa in English Literature and Mathematics from Brandeis University and gaining a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, Pichet elected to veer away from a career in architecture to pursue his one true passion in food. Pichet has been named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America by Pastry Arts & Design and Chocolatier, and was selected as a “Pastry Provocateur” by Food & Wine. His desserts, including those from Spice Market, Rick Moonen’s RM, Jean Georges, p*ong, and batch, have garnered numerous “Best of” awards. He is a multiple nominee for the James Beard Award in several national categories.

His work frequently appears in Bon Appétit, Food Arts, The New Yorker, Elle, New York Magazine, Time Out, People, Vogue, Condé Nast Traveler, Out, Harper’s Bazaar, W, and O, The Oprah Magazine. He has been on Iron Chef America, Martha Stewart Live, CBS News, Emeril’s Live, LX TV, and as a judge on Top Chef: Just Desserts.

Pichet’s cookbook, The Sweet Spot, was listed as one of 10 best cookbooks of 2008 in The New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and Gourmet.

With 38 restaurant and bakery openings to date, Pichet is currently a culinary consultant specializing in menu development for all food related business. His is resident judge on Sugar Dome and Cake Wars on Food Network. He resides in New York and is currently working on his sophomore cookbook – Desserts on a Whim.

About Charlotte Druckman

Charlotte Druckman is a Senior Editor at MEDIUM, the new publishing platform from the co-founders of Twitter. Previously, she was a journalist, whose food writing appeared in various publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times T Magazine, and Bon Appetit. She is also the author of Skirt Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat & Staying in the Kitchen published last year. Bonus: She’s the proud co-founder of Food52’s Tournament of Cookbooks, and lives in New York City.

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