Alice Medrich is a world-class chocolatier and patissiere who received formal training in chocolates, pastry, and desserts at the prestigious Ecole le Notre near Paris. Her first book, Cocolat: Extraordinary Chocolate Desserts, won numerous awards, including the Julia Child Award for Best First Book from the International Associate of Culinary Professionals (IACP). Her second book, Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts, was named the Best Cookbook of the Year by the James Beard Foundation.

Alice's Berkeley, California, dessert shop, Cocolat, set new standards for excellence in the 1970s and since, she has been learning, teaching, and sharing what she loves about dessert making. She is nothing if not obsessive about her  recipes (each is meticulously written and tested). She is committed to quality ingredients, and has a deep understanding of technique.

Alice has received the country’s highest cookbook honors, including three Cookbooks of the Year, most recently from the IACP for BitterSweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate. Her other books include Pure Dessert and Chocolate Holidays.

Alice blogs at http://alicemedrich.blogspot.com/. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.