Chef Biography
Zack Grumet began his career on Long Island, New York where he spent every Thursday cooking with his mother. Within five hours, they would prepare the family’s weekly supply of bread, rolls, cakes, pies and cookies. At age 18, he moved to Brookline, Massachusetts and apprenticed at Kupel’s Bake & Bagel where he was trained in kosher style baking by his mentor, Chef Ralf Schwartz, whose line always was “make it nice or don’t make it at all”. After five years, he moved to New York City, where he worked at gourmet shops and took classes at the Culinary Institute.
He then moved to Washington, DC in 1989 to work in the first gourmet shop in the Capitol, Sutton Place Gourmet. He was there for two years before accepting an offer in 1991 as pastry chef at the 50-year old Blackie’s Beef / Lulu’s Mardi Gras Lounge. In 1993, the Great Chefs television crew showed up at Blackie’s to tape Chef Grumet for the Discovery Channel’s Great Chefs of the East series (episode #26).
After Blackie’s closed on New Year’s Eve of 2005, Chef Grumet opened a restaurant consulting firm in DC called Silly Skinny Chix where he remains today in 2016.
Recipes
Strawberry San Giorgio
Serving: 8 Print Strawberry San Giorgio By Great Chefs November 10, 2015 Rather than being dipped in chocolate, these strawberries are stuffed with a rich ganache, then candy-coated walnuts are added for contrasting texture. All the components of this dish may be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated. Assemble the dessert just […]