Deplama — Gina

Gina DePalma was an acclaimed James Beard Award-winning pastry chef best known for her 15-year tenure at Manhattan's . A master of Italian desserts, she was celebrated for a "food-oriented" philosophy that prioritized seasonal ingredients and rustic simplicity over complex pastry techniques. Early Life and Career

In 1998, DePalma joined the opening team of Babbo in Greenwich Village. Her work there defined the modern Italian dessert in America, often incorporating savory elements like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and cheese.

DePalma was born into a close-knit Italian family in Virginia and credited her mother and grandmother, immigrants from Calabria, for her deep understanding of food. After attending Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now the Institute of Culinary Education ), she honed her skills at legendary New York establishments like and Gramercy Tavern , where she worked under mentor Claudia Fleming. Tenure at Babbo gina deplama

: She contributed the entire dessert chapter to the original Babbo Cookbook in 2002.

In 2009, she reached the pinnacle of her profession by winning the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef . That same year, she was named one of the "Ten Best Pastry Chefs in America" by Pastry Art and Design magazine. Authorship and Writing Gina DePalma was an acclaimed James Beard Award-winning

: She was a regular contributor, writing the weekly column " Seriously Italian " while on sabbatical in Rome in 2009.

: In 2007, she published Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen , which became a definitive guide to Italian pastry. Her work there defined the modern Italian dessert

DePalma passed away in December 2015 at the age of 49 after a seven-year battle with ovarian cancer. Throughout her illness, she was known for her candidness and advocacy for cancer research. She is remembered by the culinary world not just for her talent, but for her role as a mentor and her "generous heart". Gina DePalma, Acclaimed Pastry Chef at Babbo, Dies at 49