When dining out, Gustavo Tzoc gets funny looks from friends and servers because while everyone else is eating appetizers and entrees, he’s enjoying one dessert after the next. “It’s dessert, dessert, dessert for every course,” he says with smile. But he’s not joking.

But, despite the super sweet tooth, he wasn’t always destined for dessert. Tzoc attended the Culinary Institute of America where he earned his degree in savory applications. The program only requires three weeks of pastry for all students, and Tzoc admits it was his favorite time at school.

During his studies, he earned an externship at Park Avenue Café where he worked under Chef Neil Murphy for five months. It was here that Tzoc learned the art of presentation in fine dining in a practical setting. After graduating in January 2006, Tzoc’s went on to work at some venerable Manhattan kitchens. His first post was at Jovia under chef Josh DeChellis. There, his roles were all on the savory side, but Tzoc soon followed his sweet passion and began working in pastry.

“It was a natural switch for me. Pastry is so fun and creative. And I ended up using a lot of skills I learned from savory, like knife skills and flavor combinations, when creating my desserts.”

He left Jovia and moved on to Urena to be a pastry line cook. It was here that he learned about creativity and how to push the limit between savory and sweet. He perfected the art of production and high quality in mass quantities at his next post at Union Square Café.

And now, Tzoc is finally able to combine all of his experience at the celebrated David Burke Tonhouse, where he has now held the position of Executive Pastry Chef for over two years.

Tzoc is thrilled to be working at a restaurant where he’s able to tap into his whimsical sensibilities and daring flavor combinations.