Almost every student who attends the CIA has a pivotal moment when they know it is the right place for them. Camille Cogswell 鈥13 is no exception. She describes her visit to campus while searching for the right culinary college this way, 鈥淚 was taking the tour and looking through the glass at the students in the bakeshops and kitchens,鈥 she explains. 鈥淚 got tears in my eyes envisioning myself in those kitchens and seeing the potential that they held for me.鈥 Her folks saw the tears too, and in that moment, everyone knew the CIA was going to be Camille鈥檚 place.
And from then on, Camille has never missed an opportunity to learn from her mentors and grow as a professional pastry chef. Along with her CIA education, it was her internship under Dan Barber at Blue Hill Stone Barns that reinforced the values of high standards and hard work. She took her skills and that approach to her first job under pastry chef Alex Grunert at Brooklyn Fair as part of the opening team at the Manhattan location. From there, Camille went to the pastry department at award-winning NoMad to work under Mark Welker, whose desserts showed her the importance of creating an emotional connection between food and diner, a consideration that informs her pastry creations today.
When her now-fianc茅, CIA graduate Drew DiTomo, found himself working in Philadelphia, Camille made the bold decision to leave New York City and find a job in the City of Brotherly Love. She began as a pastry cook at Zahav鈥攁 highly regarded Israeli restaurant鈥攚orking under award-winning chef Mike Solomonov. Two months after starting, she was asked to take on managing the pastry operation. Camille will admit that leadership is challenging, but she is thriving鈥攁s evidenced by her two consecutive James Beard Award nominations for Rising Star Chef, which she won in 2018! In June 2019, Camille became the executive chef at Solomonov鈥檚 new eatery K鈥橣ar, an Israeli bakery and cafe in Philadelphia.
How has receiving the James Beard Award changed her life? Camille will tell you, 鈥淒ay-to-day life feels almost the same, just a little more exciting. My team and I have more motivation, more confidence, and an affirmation that what we are doing has been noticed in such a positive way.鈥 While still feeling her way as a pastry chef, Camille believes the award is meant to acknowledge her potential, inspiring her to grow and innovate.
In December 2019, Camille was named to the 贵辞谤产别蝉鈥 30 Under 30 list in the Food & Drink category, and in May 2020, she was named one of Food & Wine magazine鈥檚 Best New Chefs