ALLISON ROBICELLI

​Known for her bold and fearless writing, boundless creativity in the kitchen, legendary ADD "idea factory" brain and entertaining-as-hell stage presence, Allison Robicelli is the lady-half of the dynamic Robicelli duo.  She began baking as a teenager to prove one of her jerk friends wrong when he said she couldn’t bake a cheesecake (she could). After discovering her a natural talent in the kitchen, she spent much of her free time reading cookbooks, watching PBS, and screwing around in her parents kitchen. Having come from one of the most prestigious math and science high schools in the country, no one could fathom why she would consider going into the culinary field, which was normally reserved for drug addicts, petty criminals and clown college dropouts. She instead chose to persue something far more practical, and was accepted into the elite conservatory for the dramatic arts at Boston University. ​

In 2001, five days before her 21st birthday, Allison was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which really, really, really sucked. She spent the next 8 months going through chemotherapy and becoming fat and bald from steroids, because cancer’s kinda an asshole like that. After a period of depression she opted to be proactive about her situation: instead of relinquishing a year of her life to cancer, she’d use the involuntary quarantine to better herself. She learned to crochet very poorly, became a psychotically obsessive hockey fan and, most importantly to this bio, seriously began teaching herself how to cook. She became entranced by the storytelling capabilities of cooking, the science behind it all the rich history that could be explored through food. A job in the culinary realm not only seemed less degrading, but also seemed to be the the career she’d been searching for her entire life. Her family, on the other hand, still thought it was degrading til about 2011. 

She spent several years working in restaurants, catering, and helped a few places get off the ground. Then in 2005 she met Matt, got engaged six weeks later, and a power couple was born. It's really a remarkable story, one that can be read about in our critically-acclaimed cookbook/memoir Robicelli's: A Love Story, With Cupcakes. As we want you to buy the book, all information spanning from 2005-2013 has been redacted from this bio.

Before we go any further, let's meet......

MATT ROBICELLI

Matt Robicelli is funny, sexy, brilliant, and always the best person in the room. He was an FDNY Paramedic before suffering a career ending injury at the age of 20 as a first responder to the World Trade Center on 9/11. We know this bio has been a bit of a downer between this and the cancer stuff, but it gets better!  (It also makes us great motivational speakers, in case you were wondering.)

After spending a year recovering from his injuries and having reconstructive surgery on his legs, but suddenly faced without a career, Matt decided to follow his first love of cooking and enrolled in the French Culinary Institute, where he graduated at the top of his class. He's a pretty incredible human being, and that's not just because the author of this bio is his wife. (Check out the testimonial page for nice words from people who aren't his wife.)

And now...back to our story!

Allison & Matt went into business together in 2008 and quickly became heralded as two of the best bakers in New York City, which is a pretty goshdarn competitive market. They began appearing on TV shows around the globe, from Unique Sweets on Food Network to Sinovision in China to some German show hosted by a 6' 5" man named Jumbo.  Allison became a regular on Nick Lachey's show on VH1, and told her she was one of his favorite guests (Nick Lachey could not be reached for the purposes of this bio, but you will need to trust that we would never lie about Nick Lachey). Grub Street called the "The Pinnacle of Confectionery Hip", New York Magazine put them in a centerfold. The Village Voice named their former bakery one of the "99 Most Essential Restaurants in Brooklyn", one of only three bakeries named to the list. There was a cookbook that got a ton of accolades from some really incredible people and publications: People Magazine, First We Feast, Huffington Post (when it was still good). Freaking DAVID LEBOVITZ loved it, AND he once sheepishly approached Allison at a party to say he was a huge fan. DAVID FREAKING LEBOVITZ, PEOPLE! CAN YOU EVEN WITH THIS?!?!?!?

In 2016 they left their native Brooklyn for beautiful, sunny Baltimore, Maryland. In the little neighborhood of Pigtown they set up shop as Robicelli Studio, where they can focus entirely on the "side projects" which were their favorite part of the old bakery. There's been a brand new travel/history book, more videos and podcasts, exciting projects both in and out of the food industry. Allison even managed to get herself nominated for a James Beard award which was a very, very big deal, not only because it's the industry's highest possible  honor, but also because she got to wear a super sexy low-cut dress that she looked totally hot in. 

​It's hard to count all the wacky adventures of the Robicellis. They've gotten to wear so many hats: chefs, entrepreneurs, guerrilla marketers, social media mavens, on-air talent, standing-room-only showmen, authors, viral-dessert phenomenons, tour all-around creative dynamos. What's next? Hopefully meeting you!

Drop a line any time for inquiries, follow along on the socials, and check back here from time to time to keep up with new projects and scheduled events (or just to raid the recipe collection). And don't forget to buy the books, because those two kids in the picture expect their parents to pay for college.