Food & Wine’s Best New Pastry Chef for 2012 Laura Sawicki’s work is the result of extraordinary imagination matched with boundless tenacity. Her food, like any proof of magic, only appears effortless. She stays forever true to her idea that “eating dessert should be fun… and most importantly the process should be fun.” Laura has twice been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, first for her work at La Condesa and then again at Sway. In 2013, Laura joined forces with Margaret Vera and Tracy Overath, owners of Fresa’s Chicken al Carbon, along with longtime culinary partner Rene Ortiz, to form a new restaurant group. The group is working on their new project, Launderette, a neighborhood café and companion grocery, where Laura will serve as the Executive pastry chef. Laura calls South Austin home, living with her boyfriend and their dog, Buddy.

Ned Elliott grew up gardening in a home where food played an integral role in daily life. Ned was raised by two women, his mothers Sandra and Linda, who shared their love of gardening, cooking and baking with him. Sandra the cook, taught Ned about the importance of fresh ingredients. From Linda, the baker, Ned learned patience. Both taught him that life should be about continuous learning, a philosophy that was reinforced by Chef Ducasse and his mentor Chef Doug Psaltis.

“My mantra is attention to detail,” says Elliott. “Chef Psaltis instilled this in me and it is an important part of how we define Foreign & Domestic.”

Eager to further his career outside of his schooling at the Culinary Institute of American at Hyde Park, Ned left the CIA to begin staging at various restaurants in New York City and eventually landed a job at Tabla Restaurant. He continued building an impressive resume as he worked for such prestigious New York restaurants as the Essex House under Chef Alain Ducasse, Picholine, and Country.