Hi there, I'm Maya Grossman, a baker and pastry chef with a passion for food and how it shapes our cultures and ourselves.

 

I have been baking as long as I can remember. Even before I could reach the kitchen counter, I climbed onto a step stool to help my mother and grandmother.  Before I could read a recipe, I learned to measure cups of flour and sugar at the direction of a patient adult. During high school, I expressed interest in pursuing a career in the culinary arts, but decided to go the traditional route and entered college at Boston University.  After struggling to find happiness and passion in several different fields of study, I decided it was time to reconsider my interest in cooking.

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I started out by working as a hostess at several restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area.  In one restaurant, the pastry chef quit.  I was interested in moving to the back of the house and was convinced that I could prepare all of the desserts at the restaurant.  The next day I came to work with three desserts that I had prepared, served them to the owner and asked for the job.  He took a chance on me, and over the next eight months, I prepared all of the desserts served in the restaurant, and revamped the entire dessert menu.  On my days off I worked as a stage in the pastry department at State Bird Provisions, under the direction of Nicole Krasinski and Mikiko Yui.  I later worked in the pastry department at Spruce (a one Michelin Star restaurant in San Francisco), at Craftsman and Wolves (a renowned San Francisco bakery), and then joined the team at Manresa Bread.

 

While working at Manresa Bread, I had the extraordinary experience of being mentored by Avery Ruzicka, the Head Chef and co-owner, as well as a team of fantastic bakers.  Working at Manresa Bread allowed me to expand my knowledge and skills as a chef, while also learning to manage a team of employees.  After two years, I decided that it was time to explore other opportunities. After meeting a number of chefs during recent travels outside of the United States, I decided that working abroad was a viable and exciting option.  I lived in Amsterdam for seven months, consulting for a few restaurants, but mostly spent my time traveling, and eating my way through a host of European cities.

 

In these travels, I was offered a wonderful opportunity to work at Mrs. Robinson's restaurant in Berlin, and moved there in the spring of 2019. I worked at Mrs. Robinson's for a stretch, baking bread and producing plated desserts for a small restaurant with a thrilling concept. Mrs. Robinson's opened my eyes to new flavors and combinations I'd never thought about, with the challenge of produce seasons more fleeting than I was used to in California. I was also able to learn the basics of fermentation, as well as sustainable, low waste cooking.

 

After a while however, I realized I missed working in a bakery, and moved to Albatross Bäckerei, also in Berlin. At Albatross, I was able to return to the work I love more than anything --lamination and sourdough bread. Here, I have been able to continue to hone my skills using new and exciting German grains, as well as building a foundation of classical German and Northern European baking staples.

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I've had quite a fun ride in my career so far, and look forward to seeing what happens next. No matter what, I know I'll always have flour covered boots and a desire to learn and explore.