Author: Michelle Polzine, Baking at the 29th Century Cafe
Channel: San Francisco Public Library
Date: 2022-03-22

Michelle Polzine, chef and owner of the now-closed 20th Century Café, and one of San Francisco’s best pastry chefs, shares her cookbook, Baking at the 20th Century Cafe: Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake (Workman Publishing), and about her time in the cafe. 

Polzine began cooking in North Carolina in 1992 and got her big break in 1995 at Chapel Hill’s Pyewacket restaurant. Polzine made the restaurant’s famous dinner rolls, and a pastry career was born. She has since worked at some of San Francisco’s best restaurants, from Delfina and Chez Panisse to the Range. She has been covered in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine and the New York Times, among other publications, and has been nominated as Outstanding Pastry Chef by the James Beard Foundation. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and cats.