Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Falkner
Hi Elizabeth, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Southern California, in Agoura Hills and moved to San Francisco to finish college and started cooking in the early 1990’s there. I opened Citizen Cake in 1997 and it became a beloved pastry shop, restaurant and bar in Hayes Valley. I moved to New York in 2012 and opened a couple restaurants for others and focused on Italian food. Meanwhile, I have also been on a lot of culinary television. From Martha Stewart to early Top Chef and Top Chef Masters to Iron Chef and Tournament of Champions on Food Network. I have cooked and taught classes on pastry and savory and pizza all over the world and love to travel and cook where I travel to understand culture and agriculture better. I am now on the board of directors of the James Beard Foundation and chair of the Awards Committee.
I moved back to Los Angeles during the pandemic and produced and hosted a documentary film called, “Sorry We’re Closed” and we won best feature documentary at the Pasadena Film Festival in 2023 and it is streaming on appleTV, and Amazon Prime.
I have been a food and recipe developer and consultant for many brands in food and beverage and R&D for all these years and launched a new spirit brand called T’MARO with my partner Heather. We are a small start up brand focusing on elevating dates from Coachella Valley. We make a clear spirit/Eau de Vie from 100 % organic dates, an Amaro and Cacao Nib Liqueur both only sweetened with dates and our labels are made from up-cycled palm fronds that were headed to landfill.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It wouldn’t be a life of learning and growing if there weren’t struggles. See the film, “Sorry We’re Closed” to understand my story and the stories of many chefs in Los Angeles and SF/Bay Area to New York and other states.
Running restaurants and cooking as a career has humanitarian rewards. It is humble, scientific, artistic, mathematical and theatrical work. It is also extremely fragile as a business in this country and it was beyond challenging in San Francisco after the stock market crash of 2008. It is this way again for a lot of restaurateurs in Los Angeles after the pandemic, the writers strike and the fires.
Staying physically fit for this life of cooking is something I have been evangelical about my whole career, and it continues to be a priority to stay fit to cook.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am known as someone who thinks outside of the box and ahead of the curve. I do pastry, savory, modern and traditional cuisines and am constantly inspired by cuisines and history of food and ingredients all over the world and their climate and seasons. I also look at beverages and sourcing the same way as food.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I try to study and make decisions that will help rather than hurt and I try to always be kind and generous with my time and talents.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tmarobrands.com www.elizabethfalkner.com
- Instagram: @drinktmaro @cheffalkner
- Facebook: Chef Elizabeth Falkner
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Dario Diovisalvi
