Bravo's 'Top Chef Just Desserts' Season 1 Finalist Joins L.A. Creamery as Corporate Pastry Chef

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A Finalist of "Top Chef Just Desserts" Season 1 Danielle Keene joins L.A. Creamery Artisan Ice Cream Company today as their Corporate Pastry Chef. Keene will lead the culinary team with new and exciting ice cream flavors to be sold in the ice cream shops, the online store for shipping nationwide and to wholesale customers such as hotels, restaurants and gourmet markets.

Creating gourmet desserts and ice cream has been a passion, a career and a tradition. She grew up in a dessert-loving home where her mother made chocolate chip root beer floats and oatmeal cookies. At 17, Danielle began scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins. After training at Water Grill, Campanile and A.O.C., Keene served as the pastry chef for several top Los Angeles restaurants—The Little Door, Blair's and BLT Steak. As opening pastry chef at Wilshire Restaurant she started the very popular "Ice Cream Shoppe Night" which received accolades by L.A. Times food critic S. Irene Virbila. In 2005, Danielle was honored when Los Angeles Magazine dubbed her bread pudding "Best of Los Angeles" and last year Keene was named the Sexiest Chef in Los Angeles by an Eater LA readers' poll.

"There's something special about dessert," Danielle says. "At any point, on any day, dessert can put a smile on your face. No matter what age you are, it can make you feel like a kid again."

Some of the new artisan ice cream flavors Keene will roll out at L.A. Creamery's ice cream shop are Hot Chocolate flavored with chili powder, cinnamon, vanilla bean and cocoa nibs, Milk Chocolate Chai flavored with black tea and seven spices, Sassafras flavored with sassafras bark, Honeycomb ice cream layered with handmade honeycomb seafoam candy, Roasted Banana made with fresh bananas roasted with brown sugar and butter until caramelized, then blended in a lightly flavored rum base, and a non-dairy Chocolate Sorbet made with bittersweet chocolate, sugar and water.

L.A. Creamery is a brand-new style of ice cream parlor which opened in November 2010 at the Westfield Topanga located in Canoga Park. With 12 rotating flavors, guests can enjoy a mix of redefined favorites, out-of-the-box, and a full bar of "adults only" options such as Jack Daniel's Ice Cream—all made from scratch on site.  A 2nd location in Glendale, CA will open at The Americana at Brand in March with 2 additional locations slated to open this year.

L.A. Creamery's look deviates from the pastel color scheme and retro decor of many ice cream shops, boasting a modern atmosphere and elegant design. Kelly Architects—the team responsible for designing such L.A. hot spots as Pizzeria and Osteria Mozza, uses a combination of sleek and textured materials to represent the diverse Los Angeles population from young Hollywood trendsetters to easygoing beach-goers. L.A. Creamery is located on the first level of the Westfield Topanga adjacent to Nordstrom and is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. For additional information, please call 818-340-CONE or visit L.A. Creamery online at www.lacreamery.com or on Facebook or Twitter.

SOURCE L.A. Creamery Artisan Ice Cream