Duff Goldman

Chef 

Duff Goldman started working for acclaimed Baltimore Chef Cindy Wolf while attending the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. After graduating with degrees in History and Philosophy, Duff left Baltimore to study pastries at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California. While in Napa, Duff was a stagiere at the French Laundry, working under acclaimed pastry Chef Steven Durfee. Following graduation from the CIA, Duff left Northern California to become Executive Pastry Chef of the Vail Cascade Hotel and Resort in the mountains of Vail, Colorado. While in Colorado he worked with such notable chefs as Jessie Llapitan, now Executive Chef of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, and Chef Jason Rogers, late of Olives in Aspen, and now at the Borgota of Atlantic City.

Duff left Colorado to cook and bake bread for Todd English's Olives back in Washington, D.C., and worked under Executive Chef Steve Mannino. Duff's entrepreneurial spirit took him back to Baltimore in 2000, where he finally realized his dream and opened Charm City Cakes...

...in his apartment. He wasn't there very long; as word-of-mouth, the media, and even the health department all began to take an interest, and he soon found himself in a real bakery of his very own. Increased coverage in the press, and a growing clients list helped propel Duff into an even bigger location: an old church he retrofitted into his current modern bakery, a converted church in the Remington area of his adopted hometown - and the Charm City Cakes as we know it was firmly established.

As word about his unusual and daring cakes got out, Duff hired staff with more artistic experience than the typical pastry chef, like painters, architects and sculptors. His out-of-the-ordinary team is known for producing highly creative cakes that range from Star Wars characters and vehicles, to a replica of the Stanley Cup, to a working life-size motorcycle, a Hogwarts Castle for Warner Bros. and their premiere of Harry Potter.

Following several appearances on its cake competition Challenge series, in 2006, Food Network tapped Chef Duff and his fellow cake baking artists at Charm City Cakes to star in Ace of Cakes. After six years and ten seasons, the show is popular in over 40 countries worldwide. In 2011 the show saw its United Kingdom premiere draw record numbers for Food Network's latest overseas venture: Food Network UK.

In addition to his work on Ace of Cakes, Duff also stars in the Food Network series, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, has been featured in episodes of Iron Chef America, The Next Food Network Star, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Drives, Chefs vs. City, Cupcake Wars, Chopped, and has just completed several guest-starring roles in both TV and film. Today, Duff's work has also been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, Fox News, CNN, The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and more.

Chef Duff has also made his first foray into the publishing world with the New York Times Bestseller "Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes" from HarperCollins/William Morrow.

Duff's newest show, Sugar High, premiered on the Food Network in August 2011 and chronicles Duff's cross-country trek to capture the sweet secrets and tasty techniques that keep the cookies from crumbling in the top bakeries around the nation. Duff visits a bevy of sweet spots ranging from diners and curbside snow-cone machines to food carts and boutique bakeries, getting a full view of what it takes to sweeten up any soiree. This sugary search leaves mouths watering as Duff discovers the country's best baked goods.

In addition to owning and operating Charm City Cakes, Duff is also a sculptor, artist, and musician - he plays bass the an indie instrumental band, Sand Ox, has an affinity for wearing his signature hockey jerseys, and is an all-around good guy with the cleanest hands in town. In 2011, Duff was nominated for two James Beard Foundation awards for both Best TV Food Personality/Host and Best Television Program.