Duff Goldman
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Adam "Duff" Goldman (born December 17, 1974) is a pastry chef
and television personality. He is the executive chef of the Baltimore
-based Charm City Cakes shop which is featured in the Food Network
reality television show Ace of Cakes
. His work and talent have also been featured on the Food Network Challenge
, Iron Chef America
, Oprah
, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
.
into a Jewish family, and moved shortly thereafter to Missouri
. Goldman's nickname Duff came about when he was a baby. His toddler brother was unable to pronounce the name and kept saying Duffy. When he was four, his mother caught him in her kitchen wielding a meat cleaver
and watching food personality Chef Tell.
After the divorce of his parents when he was ten, Goldman spent time living in both in Northern Virginia
and in the town of Sandwich
on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In 1992, Goldman attended McLean High School
in McLean, Virginia
where he played on the Highlanders ice hockey team. In 1993, he graduated from Sandwich High School
in Sandwich
.
From the age of fourteen, he began to work in kitchens; his first job was at a Bagel Store at a mall. Goldman has said that when he was a sophomore in college, he went to what he considered the finest restaurant in Baltimore, Charleston, and was inspired to apply as a cook there. The head chef
, Cindy Wolf, looked at his résumé and noted that it consisted of irrelevant experience. However, Cindy did offer him a job to make cornbread
and biscuit
s only, and this is what Goldman cites as the turning point in his career.
Shortly after college, he attended schools such as Corcoran College of Art
and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
in Napa Valley, California. After working under acclaimed chefs in California, including a job at the French Laundry
and the Vail Cascade Hotel in Colorado
, he returned to Washington, D.C.
, to work at the Olives restaurant baking bread.
In 2000, Goldman opened his own business called Charm City Cakes. Initially, his cake sales began as he worked out of his house in Charles Village
with the help of two assistants he employed. As the requests for his unusual cakes increased, he hired more employees – many of whom did not have any culinary experience as pastry chefs, but were instead experienced painters, architects, and sculptors. Today, Goldman's bakery shop is unusual in that blow torches, as well as power tools such as grinders and drills, are used to help form the underlying supports of the unique edible creations. With his crew, Goldman has created unusual cakes including the likenesses of Elvis
in the form of a 3-foot butter cream sculpture, an anatomically correct ear, a smoking volcano
, a three-dimensional German Shepherd
, as well as a replica of a CAT scan machine, a Jeep
, and an edible Wrigley Field
.
Goldman has made cakes for a number of celebrities including Tom Clancy
, the cast of Lost
, the 30 Rock
cast (along with a cake prop) and Sir Roger Moore
In October 2009, Goldman and his brother Willie released the book Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes from HarperCollins/William Morrow, providing an exhaustive look at both the bakery and the show.
. Goldman has made a wedding cake for Clutch's lead singer, Neil Fallon
. In addition, Fallon's younger sister and Goldman's friend from college, Mary Alice Fallon-Yeskey, works at Charm City Cakes as the office manager.
Goldman also officially entered the Guinness Book of World Records for baking the world's largest cupcake on March 30, 2008. The massive entirely edible cupcake weighed in at 61.4 pounds (27.9 kg) and was over a foot (305mm) tall. It was reportedly 150 times the size of a regular cupcake and required 16 pounds (7.2 kg) of butter, 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of sugar, and three ounces (85g) of food coloring. The record-breaking pastry was created to support the Great American Bake Sale, which raised $10,000 and awareness for the Share Our Strength charity. However, as reported in a 2009 episode of Ace of Cakes
, Goldman was stripped of the record due to the cupcake having been made in two parts.
Goldman is Jewish. He is actively involved in Tzedakah
, the Jewish practice of performing charity and philanthropic acts to enhance ones spirituality. In an interview with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
, Goldman said “Tzedakah is very important to me. I’ve been so fortunate with everything that has happened to me, it would be a crime not to give back.”
, Duff and Geof were invited to do the voice for two characters in the episode, "To Sirloin with Love
" where Bobby Hill joined the Meat Examination Team. Goldman made a guest appearance on an episode of The Imagination Movers
as Baker Ben, the Muffin Man in late 2009. In 2010 Duff is going to play the role of clown in a movie called Below the Beltway, that is in post-production.
Pastry chef
A pastry chef or pâtissier is a station chef in a professional kitchen, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods...
and television personality. He is the executive chef of the Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
-based Charm City Cakes shop which is featured in the Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
reality television show Ace of Cakes
Ace of Cakes
Ace of Cakes is an American reality television show which airs on the Food Network. The show focuses on the daily operations of Duff Goldman's custom cake shop, Charm City Cakes, in Baltimore, Maryland; including small-business ownership, working with various vendors, tasting with customers,...
. His work and talent have also been featured on the Food Network Challenge
Food Network Challenge
Food Network Challenge is a competitive cooking television series that currently airs on the Food Network. Each episode, professional chefs compete in a timed competition in their professional specialty. The winner receives a check for $10,000 and a gold medal.-Format:The competitions are judged...
, Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
, Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
.
Early life
Goldman was born in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
into a Jewish family, and moved shortly thereafter to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Goldman's nickname Duff came about when he was a baby. His toddler brother was unable to pronounce the name and kept saying Duffy. When he was four, his mother caught him in her kitchen wielding a meat cleaver
Cleaver (knife)
A cleaver is a large knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a rectangular-bladed hatchet. It is used mostly for hacking through bones as a kitchen knife or butcher knife, and can also be used for crushing via its broad side, typically garlic....
and watching food personality Chef Tell.
After the divorce of his parents when he was ten, Goldman spent time living in both in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
and in the town of Sandwich
Sandwich, Massachusetts
Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,675 at the 2010 census. The Town Hall is located right next to the Dexter Grist Mill, in the historic district of town....
on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In 1992, Goldman attended McLean High School
McLean High School
McLean High School is a public secondary school located in McLean, Virginia. It is located on 1633 Davidson Road and is part of Fairfax County Public Schools....
in McLean, Virginia
McLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
where he played on the Highlanders ice hockey team. In 1993, he graduated from Sandwich High School
Sandwich High School
Sandwich High School is a public high school located in East Sandwich, Massachusetts. The school serves the students of Sandwich, Massachusetts. Enrollment at the school is 1,129 students as of 2010-2011, and employs 83 faculty members...
in Sandwich
Sandwich, Massachusetts
Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,675 at the 2010 census. The Town Hall is located right next to the Dexter Grist Mill, in the historic district of town....
.
From the age of fourteen, he began to work in kitchens; his first job was at a Bagel Store at a mall. Goldman has said that when he was a sophomore in college, he went to what he considered the finest restaurant in Baltimore, Charleston, and was inspired to apply as a cook there. The head chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
, Cindy Wolf, looked at his résumé and noted that it consisted of irrelevant experience. However, Cindy did offer him a job to make cornbread
Cornbread
Cornbread is a generic name for any number of quick breads containing cornmeal and leavened by baking powder.-History:Native Americans were using ground corn for food thousands of years before European explorers arrived in the New World...
and biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
s only, and this is what Goldman cites as the turning point in his career.
Shortly after college, he attended schools such as Corcoran College of Art
Corcoran College of Art and Design
The Corcoran College of Art and Design, , founded in 1890, is the only professional college of art and design in Washington, DC, located in the Downtown area. The school is a private institution in association with the Corcoran Gallery of Art.The Corcoran Gallery of Art is Washington's first and...
and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, California is a branch campus of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone provides continuing education and career development for professionals in the food, wine, health,...
in Napa Valley, California. After working under acclaimed chefs in California, including a job at the French Laundry
French Laundry
The French Laundry is a French restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. The chef and owner of the French Laundry is Thomas Keller....
and the Vail Cascade Hotel in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, he returned to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, to work at the Olives restaurant baking bread.
Charm City Cakes
Charles Village, Baltimore
Charles Village is a neighborhood located in the north-central area of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It is a middle-class area with many single-family homes that is in proximity to many of Baltimore's urban amenities. The neighborhood began in 1869 when of land were purchased for development...
with the help of two assistants he employed. As the requests for his unusual cakes increased, he hired more employees – many of whom did not have any culinary experience as pastry chefs, but were instead experienced painters, architects, and sculptors. Today, Goldman's bakery shop is unusual in that blow torches, as well as power tools such as grinders and drills, are used to help form the underlying supports of the unique edible creations. With his crew, Goldman has created unusual cakes including the likenesses of Elvis
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in the form of a 3-foot butter cream sculpture, an anatomically correct ear, a smoking volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
, a three-dimensional German Shepherd
German Shepherd Dog
The German Shepherd Dog , also known as an Alsatian or just the German Shepherd, is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany. The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog...
, as well as a replica of a CAT scan machine, a Jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
, and an edible Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
.
Goldman has made cakes for a number of celebrities including Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
, the cast of Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, the 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
cast (along with a cake prop) and Sir Roger Moore
In October 2009, Goldman and his brother Willie released the book Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes from HarperCollins/William Morrow, providing an exhaustive look at both the bakery and the show.
Personal life
Goldman currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland. He played bass guitar in an instrumental band called "...soihadto...". He claims his alternate dream job would be to perform as bass player with the band ClutchClutch (band)
Clutch is an American rock band from Germantown, Maryland, formed in 1990. The band's first release was an EP entitled Pitchfork, which debuted in October 1990. Their first studio album, Transnational Speedway League, was released three years later in 1993. To date, Clutch has released nine studio...
. Goldman has made a wedding cake for Clutch's lead singer, Neil Fallon
Neil Fallon
Neil P. Fallon is the lead singer and occasional rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and percussionist for the rock band Clutch, and lead singer for The Company Band...
. In addition, Fallon's younger sister and Goldman's friend from college, Mary Alice Fallon-Yeskey, works at Charm City Cakes as the office manager.
Goldman also officially entered the Guinness Book of World Records for baking the world's largest cupcake on March 30, 2008. The massive entirely edible cupcake weighed in at 61.4 pounds (27.9 kg) and was over a foot (305mm) tall. It was reportedly 150 times the size of a regular cupcake and required 16 pounds (7.2 kg) of butter, 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of sugar, and three ounces (85g) of food coloring. The record-breaking pastry was created to support the Great American Bake Sale, which raised $10,000 and awareness for the Share Our Strength charity. However, as reported in a 2009 episode of Ace of Cakes
Ace of Cakes
Ace of Cakes is an American reality television show which airs on the Food Network. The show focuses on the daily operations of Duff Goldman's custom cake shop, Charm City Cakes, in Baltimore, Maryland; including small-business ownership, working with various vendors, tasting with customers,...
, Goldman was stripped of the record due to the cupcake having been made in two parts.
Goldman is Jewish. He is actively involved in Tzedakah
Tzedakah
Tzedakah or Ṣ'daqah in Classical Hebrew is a Hebrew word commonly translated as charity, though it is based on the Hebrew word meaning righteousness, fairness or justice...
, the Jewish practice of performing charity and philanthropic acts to enhance ones spirituality. In an interview with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally...
, Goldman said “Tzedakah is very important to me. I’ve been so fortunate with everything that has happened to me, it would be a crime not to give back.”
Acting career
Goldman has made a few notable guest appearances on various TV shows. In 2009 Goldman made an appearance on Jon and Kate Plus 8 in the episodes "Kate's Birthday Surprise" and "Sun, Seashells and Scrapes" during the show's fifth season. Also in 2009, after doing a cake for the cast and crew of King of the HillKing of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, Duff and Geof were invited to do the voice for two characters in the episode, "To Sirloin with Love
To Sirloin with Love
"To Sirloin with Love" is the 20th episode of the 13th season and the official series finale of King of the Hill and originally premiered on September 13, 2009 on Fox Broadcasting Company...
" where Bobby Hill joined the Meat Examination Team. Goldman made a guest appearance on an episode of The Imagination Movers
Imagination Movers
Imagination Movers is a child-centered rock band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2003. The lineup includes Rich Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche, and Scott "Smitty" Smith. Members of the group were longtime friends and neighbors....
as Baker Ben, the Muffin Man in late 2009. In 2010 Duff is going to play the role of clown in a movie called Below the Beltway, that is in post-production.
External links
- "Charm City Cakes" - Official Website
- Duff Goldman – Food Network article
- Ace of Cakes - from the Food Network
- ...soihadto... - Web site of the band Goldman was a member of