Zac Young

When Zac Young was growing up his vegan mom rarely baked which meant it was up to him to master making the cookies he so loved. Before ever working in a kitchen, he brought his flair for drama to the wig department of the Radio City Rockettes. Eventually he followed his passion for sweet treats to ICE. 

After graduating from the Pastry & Baking Arts program in 2006, Young went on to work at Bouchon Bakery and Chef Alex Guarnaschelli's famed restaurant, Butter. Shortly afterward, he decided to pursue international training by spending time in France working under some of the greatest chocolatiers in the world: Chefs Philipe Givre at Valrhona and Philipe Park at Chocolate Michel Cluizel.

Upon his return to New York, Young was named Executive Pastry Chef at the critically acclaimed Flex Mussels where he was responsible for a donut-centric dessert menu that put his creative and playful twist on restaurant desserts on the culinary map.

In 2010, Young rose to fame as a top contender on Bravo’s first season of Top Chef: Just Desserts, finishing in fourth place and gaining a rabid following of pastry lovers. He continues to be a recurring judge and food personality across various media platforms including The Food Network's Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, and more.

For many years now, Young has helped to grow the David Burke restaurant group--now known as Craveable Hospitality group--into an impressive nationwide empire through his role as Pastry Director. This has also seen the birth of two Young-specific concepts, Sprinkletown Donuts & Ice Cream and PieCaken Bakeshop.