Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini of Sugar Fueled, Inc. - Biography

Johnny Iuzzini hails from the Catskills region in upstate New York. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with over 20 years of kitchen experience, Iuzzini honed his craft at such highly regarded restaurants as The River Café, Daniel, Payard, Café Boulud, and Jean Georges. In 1998 he traveled around the world and studied pastry at some of the finest patisseries in France, including Laudurée under Pierre Hermé.

Not only was Iuzzini the James Beard Foundation’s “Pastry Chef of the Year” in 2006, he’s been recognized as one of the “10 Most Influential Pastry Chefs in America” by Forbes, “Best New Pastry Chef” by New York Magazine, and named one of the “Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America” two years in a row by Pastry Arts and Design. He has appeared on national television shows including the “Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” and “Martha Stewart,” and is the head judge of Bravo’s culinary competition series “Top Chef: Just Desserts.” He is also the author of Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets From A Four-Star Pastry Chef and published his second book, Sugar Rush: Master Tips, Techniques, and Recipes for Sweet Baking in 2014.

During his near decade as executive pastry chef at Jean Georges, the restaurant received four stars from The New York Times, three Michelin stars, and was considered one of the world’s 50 greatest restaurants. Since leaving, Iuzzini has started his own pastry and culinary arts consulting company, Sugar Fueled, Inc., as well as 20 Degrees American Chocolate and Coffee Roasters, and is always traveling the globe researching new trends and techniques—and devoting time to his other passion, motorcycle racing.