The Dearborn, an 8,000-square-foot restaurant and lounge by sisters and partners Amy Lawless and Clodagh Lawless, named Courtney Joseph as Pastry Chef of their forthcoming multimillion dollar project. Fresh off a stint working with Meg Galus (2016 finalist for James Beard: Outstanding Pastry Chef) at the Boka Group’s Swift & Sons, Joseph will join Executive Chef Aaron Cuschieri at The Dearborn, which is slated to open in the heart of Chicago’s Loop this June.

Nourishing a childhood passion for baking and cooking, Joseph’s training under James Beard-recognized chefs began after she switched from studying chemistry in college in favor of attending culinary school in Indianapolis. She moved to Chicago as part of a mandated externship, which she completed at HotChocolate working under acclaimed pastry chef Mindy Segal (James Beard: Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2012).

At Segal’s recommendation, Joseph landed a job with Takashi Yagihashi (James Beard Best Chef: Midwest in 2003) and became pastry chef at the chef’s Michelin-starred namesake restaurant. Takashi later turned to her to create the pastry menu for his forthcoming Slurping Turtle Japanese restaurants, of which Joseph oversaw the development in both Chicago as well as the second Slurping Turtle location in Ann Arbor, MI. She was named one of Zagat’s “30 Under 30,” and also competed alongside Takashi and Cuschieri on Bravo’s “Top Chef Duels” in Los Angeles, where the team claimed victory over chef David Burke.

After five years working with Takashi, Joseph spent some time crafting homemade artisan pies at Hoosier Mamma Pie Company in Pilsen before joining the opening team at Swift & Sons. At Swift & Sons, she reacquainted herself with the pastry techniques of a high-volume, fine-dining destination, which served as preparation for her new role at The Dearborn.

Now in 2016 as Pastry Chef of The Dearborn, Courtney will apply her extensive training to create a rotating selection of freshly baked pies and housemade bread, a signature collection of her renowned macarons (including a rosé macaron), BYO (build your own) ice cream sundaes, and a small but thoughtful assortment of composed and plated desserts that reinvent themselves with the changing seasons.