Chef Colleen Grapes

Chef Colleen Grapes

This New Jersey native was first introduced to baking by her grandmother and great-grandmother who, during the holidays, filled their apartment with freshly baked cookies. Colleen developed a sweet tooth that never went away, and she decided to make a career out of her love of pastry. In order to so, she worked and traveled throughout the Northeast and Europe in order to perfect her craft.

Colleen attended Johnson & Wales University for four years, studying food service management, followed by two years spent studying pastry arts. During school, she worked at Providence's Al Forno with chefs George Germon and Johanne Killeen and, after graduation, she moved to New York City where she worked at Aja (as assistant pastry chef under Gary Robbins), and then moved downtown to the celebrated Time Café.

Colleen then spent six months traveling around Europe, where she found inspiration in every cafe and patisserie. After returning to the United States, Colleen moved to Boston, where she was named Executive Pastry Chef of Cafe Louis. From there, she moved to the Hamptons: to work at The Art of Eating Catering. Eventually, she moved back to the city, and in 1999, Colleen took a job as Pastry Chef at Rue 57, where she worked for almost a year.

Seeking a smaller, more personal environment, she was delighted to be offered the position of pastry chef at The Red Cat. Colleen worked there for 3 years, where she enjoyed working with Jimmy Bradley and Bill McDaniel to create sweet dishes that lit the mood at New York's favorite neighborhood restaurant. She ultimately moved on to work at some of New York's top restaurants, including the Sea Grill, Dressler's and most recently at Irving Mill.

When Colleen heard Jimmy Bradley was looking for a pastry chef to run the sweet side of the kitchens at both The Red Cat and The Harrison, the peripatetic pastry chef didn't have to think twice about returning to the Red Cat Restaurant family to settle down back where she belongs.