Pastry Chef Khanh Tran

601 Graves Hotel

Minneapolis, MN

Before her appointment to pastry chef of Cosmos Restaurant, Khanh Tran made her mark on the Minneapolis dining scene as pastry chef at Auriga, the Turtle Bread Co. and Restaurant Levain, and as a pastry assistant at The Local and D'Amico & Sons. In other experience, Tran developed a southwestern restaurant concept in Maryland called Caliente, and learned the art of large-scale production at the Bluepoint Bakery in Colorado . She served as a line cook and pastry assistant at the China Moon Café in San Francisco , and first embraced the restaurant business at Lotus, her family's Vietnamese restaurant in Minneapolis .

Tran's formal culinary education began at the Culinary Institute of America, where her passion of pastries began to take root. At the encouragement of a mentor and her family, Tran attended the acclaimed Ecole de Gastronomie Française at the Ritz in Paris , and extended her stay there for an apprenticeship at the famed Ritz-Escoffier Hotel.

Born in Saigon, Tran and her family fled the war-torn nation in 1975 with the help of a sponsor family in Minneapolis . This family not only helped the family move to Minnesota , but also assisted in the start of Lotus Restaurant.

“ Minneapolis has been my home since my childhood,” said Tran. “And though I've traveled to several countries, I believe the downtown Minneapolis farmer's market is one of the best I've seen. I get inspired by the freshness and seasonal selection available at the market. I'm excited to bring my passion for pastries to Cosmos and be able to play a role in the exciting culinary scene in Minneapolis.”

Dishes prepared by Pastry Chef Tran

Valrhona Chocolate Tart with Spiced Figs, Salted Almond Praline and Black Vanilla Ice Cream