Master Chef Featuring Award-Winning Pastry Chef Rochelle Cooper of The Duck & The Peach

Diving into icebox cakes right in time for Passover! Chef Rochelle will demonstrate two types of matza ice box cakes, Lemon Olive Oil Matza Torta and Chocolate Hazelnut Matza Cake with a kick of coffee liquor – this recipe was named one of Food and Wine’s top recipes in 2023! Participants will make and take home their own version of Rochelle’s Chocolate Hazelnut Matza Cake (which can be made sans alcohol).

Rochelle is a Rammy Award-winning pastry chef who learned to love baking at a young age, making traditional desserts for the holidays with her mom. This hobby grew into a passion and she found herself at Johnson and Wales Culinary School in Providence. Her talent for the pastry arts was accompanied by a joy brought by sharing knowledge and Ideas with others as a teaching assistant. Professors encouraged her to pursue a masters in education and a year later she wrapped up a graduate program at Pennsylvania State University. It didn’t take long for Rochelle to miss the rush of restaurants and found herself in Washington, DC. Breaking out at Range by Bryan Voltaggio and working under the renowned Chris Ford there. The whimsy, science, and storytelling of Minibar drew her further downtown where she spent years in the two Michelin starred kitchen and went on to become a research and development chef for Jose Andres team. Kat Petonito, a former colleague and friend, enticed Rochelle to join Eastern Point Collective (The Duck & The Peach, La Collina, The Wells) to begin her own pastry program. Inspiration for her desserts comes from nostalgia and seasonal ingredients available locally. Rochelle also has a knack for sustainability and always finding ways to cross utilize savory and bar preparations in her work. Her latest venture, an Ice Cream Shoppe-Up that quite literally churns excess product into delicious flavors inspired by the team’s childhood favorites. As a new mom, Rochelle has seen the struggles that parents and children face everyday, she uses her platform to advocate for affordable and accessible childcare, as well as a national parental leave policy with groups like MAPP and Regarding Her DC. Rochelle spearheads the Cookie Kindness Project, a group of pastry chefs, bakers, and food writers whose exclusive cookie collections have raised over $50,000 for local non-profits focused on kids and families.

Complimentary wine will be available.

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are non-refundable. We apologize for any inconvenience.