American author, baker, and chef Nancy Silverton received the Outstanding Chef Award from the James Beard Foundation in 2014. She is credited with helping artisan and sourdough breads gain popularity in the US.

Silverton left Sonoma State during her senior year and chose to enrol in Le Cordon Bleu’s rigorous culinary programme in London. She returned to Southern California in 1979 after receiving her degree and began working with renowned pastry chef Jimmy Brinkeley at Michael’s in Santa Monica. She went back to Europe to continue her education at the Ecole Lenotre Culinary Institute in Plasir, France, after being moved by Brinkeley’s inventiveness.

In 2007, in order to launch the Italian eatery Osteria Mozza, Silverton teamed up with New York City chef Mario Batali and his frequent companion Joseph Bastianich. Later, Osteria Mozza opened locations in Singapore and Newport Beach, California. Silverton debuted Nancy’s Fancy in June 2015. Nancy’s Fancy, a high-end range of seven gelato and sorbetto flavours, is offered in supermarkets. The business was founded in Chatsworth, California; however, they have subsequently moved to a 6,000 square foot warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District. Beginning in 2019, Silverton was appointed as the new Farmhouse dining and event venue’s culinary ambassador in Ojai, California. In the fall of that year, she established Pizzette, a casual Italian eatery in Culver City, California, that specialises in small pizzas.