Born and raised in Southern California, Nancy grew up in a Jewish family, which gave her a love of cooking and an appreciation of food. She found her passion for the culinary arts at an early age, but initially decided to pursue studies in political science—she lasted a year. Dropping out of college, she enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in London to begin her journey on the road to culinary greatness.
With an endless curiosity about food and a particular interest in the culinary traditions of Italy, Silverton became a sponge for all she could learn about the culinary arts, but it was pastry that she chose to specialize in. A stint at Santa Monica restaurant Michael’s as a pastry chef inspired her to delve deeper into the craft of baking and she left for Plaisir, France to study at the Ecole Lenôtre Culinary Institute.
On her return to Los Angeles, Silverton went to work for Wolfgang Puck as Pastry Chef at Spago’s, but after a few years, she stepped into entrepreneurship, opening Campanile with her late husband Mark Peel. The restaurant went on to become an important part of the new Californian cuisine movement, staying in business for 23 years. Almost as an afterthought, Silverton opened the La Brea Bakery, in a building joined to the restaurant, to serve it. Over time it became one of the biggest bread producers in the US, but with a focus on artisanal techniques and high-quality ingredients. Today, La Brea is considered a seminal institution that help changed the public consciousness on bread, home baking, and sourdough.
Apart from being a relentless restaurateur, Silverton is a dedicated educationalist, activist, author, and speaker. Food is her passion, and she dedicates huge amounts of time to teaching people to understand and appreciate the quality of the food they eat.
Restaurants
Campanile shuttered in 2012 after 23 years in business, while La Brea Bakery was sold off and continues to supply high-quality baked goods nationwide. Today, Silverton is the proprietor of several much-acclaimed restaurants including Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza and chi Spacca. Pizzeria Mozza quickly became famous for its high quality, locally sourced Californian ingredients, and its woodfired crust, completely elevating the pizza game in Los Angeles. It also holds a Michelin green star. A second Pizzeria followed in 2012 in Newport Beach, as well as others around the world, including in London.
Osteria Mozza is Nancy’s flagship restaurant where she creates a menu of Italian delicacies, imbued with her passion for ingredients, attention to detail, and an unrivaled knowledge of Italian cuisine. The mozzarella bar in the restaurant is a unique feature that displays the chef’s commitment to finding the very best examples of the Italian soft cheese. Osteria Mozza was awarded a Michelin star for its dedication to expressing the best of Californian produce according to the Italian tradition and a green star for Silverton’s dedication to ethical cooking.
Nancy has taken her Mozza and chi Spacca concepts international in recent years with Pizzeria Mozza London, Mozza Baja, Osteria Mozza Singapore, chi Spacca Via Riyadh and Mozza DC. She has further expansionist plans to spread her passion for Italian cuisine and quality breads in other markets.
Recipes and dishes
While Silverton's first love will always be bread and baked goods, she is accomplished in all areas of the kitchen. Her passion for Italian traditional cuisine is a hallmark of all she does yet unbound by dogma she is not afraid to respectfully innovate using her creative flair. Her focaccia di recco, a thin, crisp bread filled with cheese is legendary, as is her burrata with salsa verde. The pizza format allows Nancy more freedom to innovate and her pizza bianca, topped with fontina, mozzarella, sottocenere, and sage shows what she can do with a little bit more creative freedom to elevate Italian classics.
Nancy will always be associated with sourdough and the modern sourdough movement and her devotion to yeast can be seen in the famed 'perfectly blistered crust' at Pizzeria Mozza. The pizzas served here have raised the bar for gourmet pizza across the US and beyond.
Silverton’s expertise extends beyond bread and mains, and she applies the same level of excellence to her desserts. Her butterscotch budino again shows her respect for tradition, combined with a dedication to excellent ingredients, and how a touch of the chef's mastery can elevate an everyday dish to the sublime.
