Julia M. Usher

Former owner of the boutique bakery AzucArte, Julia made her first mark on the food world in 1997 as a wedding cake decorator and pastry chef. Her desserts have since appeared at the James Beard House and in the pages of Vera Wang on Weddings, Pastry Art & Design, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Brides, and Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, among others.

Julia now pours her passion for sweets into food writing and styling for a number of local, regional, and national magazines. She is Contributing Editor at Dessert Professional (formerly Chocolatier) and a 2008 James Beard-nominee for her monthly column Prep School in St. Louis-based Sauce magazine. In recent years, her work has appeared in Bon Appetit, Fine Cooking, Better Homes and Gardens, Yankee, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion, Gastronomica, The Herb Companion, and St. Louis At Home. Her first book, Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year (Gibbs Smith, August 2009), won three prestigious Cordon d' Or Cookbook Awards and is currently in its ninth printing. Julia's latest book, Ultimate Cookies, releases on November 1, 2011 and promises to set the standard among cookie decorating books.

Julia graduated valedictorian from The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts in 1996. She also holds degrees in mechanical engineering from Yale and U.C Berkeley, and an MBA from Stanford. In addition to serving as Secretary/Treasurer of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Julia is a three-time President and two-time Program Chair of the St. Louis Culinary Society, and a founding member of the St. Louis chapter of Les Dames d' Escoffier International. Prior to beginning her career in food, Julia worked as nuclear reactor systems engineer for General Electric, as a management consultant for Bain & Company, and in marketing research for industries ranging from pharmaceuticals to industrial design.

To schedule an event or interview with Julia, contact:

Ron Longe, Account Manager

Media Masters Publicity

ron@mmpublicity.com

101 West 104th Street #8

New York, New York 10025

Office: 212-866-2906

Cell: 917-312-5571