🧑🍳 Just four months after losing its James Beard Award semifinalist chef, one of Phoenix’s top restaurants now has lost its Beard Award finalist pastry chef.
Crystal Kass, who was a semifinalist for the prestigious award as the country’s Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker in 2022 and one of five finalists for the award in 2024 and 2025, has left Valentine with plans to launch her own business.
Her departure follows the retirement of chef Donald Hawk (also pictured) in June. In addition, Valentine co-founder Chad Price left the Melrose neighborhood restaurant earlier this year.
Sous chef Nico Zades was promoted to Hawk’s position, but no replacement for Kass has been announced.
Kass’s next venture – combining her Mexican heritage and French pastry training – is still in the works. She’s shopping for equipment, but unsure whether she’ll open a bricks-and-mortar bakery or just sell her goods at various sites.
Whatever it ends up being, it’s not expected to launch until 2026 at the earliest.
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