Michelle Polzine
{{Short description|American pastry chef and cookbook author}}
{{use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
Michelle Polzine is an American pastry chef, author, and former owner of the 20th Century Café in San Francisco, California.{{Cite web |title=Michelle Polzine |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/author/michelle-polzine |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=Food & Wine |language=en}}{{Cite book |last1=Polzine |first1=Michelle |title=Baking at the 20th Century Cafe: iconic European desserts from linzer torte to honey cake |last2=Brackett |first2=Aya |date=2020 |publisher=Artisan Books |others=20th Century Cafe (San Francisco, Calif.) |isbn=978-1-57965-898-4 |location=New York}}
Biography
Polzine was born in November, 1969 and was raised in Southern California.{{Cite web |last=Philipkoski |first=Kristen |date=2013-09-11 |title=20th Century Cafe's Michelle Polzine: Vintage Maven Since 14 |url=https://sf.racked.com/2013/9/11/7650489/20th-century-cafe-owner-shows-off-her-vintage-maven-style |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=Racked SF |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2013-02-22 |title=Pastry of the Week |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/people/chefs/article/pastry-of-the-week-5 |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=Bon Appétit |language=en-US}} Starting at age 19 she worked as a political activist, first in Portland, Oregon on behalf of an environmental organization, then later for a women's clinic based in San Francisco. In 1991, at the age of 22, Polzine relocated to North Carolina, and entered the restaurant industry as a dishwasher before eventually being offered positions preparing food. After developing skills as a baker at several restaurants in Durham and Chapel Hill, Polzine returned to San Francisco to continue her culinary career in 2002.
Polzine opened the 20th Century Café, which focused on her interpretation of Eastern and Central European baked goods, in San Francisco in 2013.{{Cite web |last=Edalatpour |first=Jeffrey |date=2020-08-13 |title=Michelle Polzine's Unsavory Character |url=https://www.sfweekly.com/dining/michelle-polzine-s-unsavory-character/article_1ab5f225-49d5-536f-9705-9e40cf8afb0c.html |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=SFWeekly |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Barmann |first=Jay |date=2013-04-02 |title=An Update on Michelle Polzine's 20th Century Café, Due Later This Spring |url=https://www.grubstreet.com/2013/04/michelle-polzine-20th-century-cafe-preview-date.html |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=Grub Street |language=en}} She authored the cookbook Baking at the 20th Century Cafe: Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake, which was published in 2020.
Polzine was diagnosed with, and treated for, clear cell carcinoma in 2020.{{Cite web |last=Tsai |first=Luke |date=2020-04-07 |title=Star Pastry Chef Emerges From Surprise Cancer Surgery to Find a City Shut Down by Coronavirus |url=https://sf.eater.com/2020/4/7/21212419/michelle-polzine-20th-century-cafe-cancer-surgery-coronavirus |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=Eater SF |language=en}} Citing both her recovery from this procedure and the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry, Polzine permanently closed the 20th Century Café in 2020.
Personal life
Awards
Polzine was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Pastry Chef award in 2010, 2018, and 2019.{{Cite web |title=Awards Search {{!}} James Beard Foundation |url=https://www.jamesbeard.org/awards/search?categories%5BRestaurant+&+Chef%5D=1&year=&keyword=polzine# |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=www.jamesbeard.org |language=en}}
References
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Category:Date of birth missing (living people)
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)