Originally from Northern California, Jansen Chan began baking at a very young age. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in architecture, he followed his true passion for baking by moving to Paris and graduating from Le Cordon Bleu with a pâtisserie diploma in 2000.After culinary school, Chef Jansen went to San Francisco to continue his training in some of the city’s finest restaurants: Kuleto’s, John Frank, and the Fifth Floor. He then accepted an invitation to work for Chef Alain Ducasse in the kitchens of his eponymous restaurant at the 3-Michelin starred Essex House in New York City, as well as Mix restaurants in Las Vegas and New York City. Under the tutelage of Ducasse, Jansen came to master the craft of baking and pastry in fine dining as executive pastry chef of Oceana. For five years, he indulged New York City diners with his sumptuous and visually arresting desserts and artisanal breads. He joined the International Culinary Center, formerly the French Culinary Institute, as Director of Pastry Operations in 2012 and immediately oversaw the modernization of the prestigious pastry curriculum, originally designed by Jacques Torres. In 2023, Jansen became the Executive Pastry Chef of Starr Restaurant Group’s The Clocktower.
In 2017, he founded Pastry Plus, an industry conference that promotes the constructive exchange of ideas and information for pastry professionals. Pastry chefs, new and established, gathered to explore the latest in craft, innovation and workplace. In conjunction, chefs participated in an all-star charity bake sale, Pastryland, which benefited non-profit organizations. Pastry Plus was held in 2017, 2019 and cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic health crisis.
His desserts have been featured in high-profile publications such as Food & Wine magazine, Art Culinaire, and Baking and Pastry: North America. His desserts were declared “splendid” by former New York Times critic Frank Bruni and in 2009, Chef Jansen’s doughnut platter was named the best dessert in the city by Time Out New York. Jansen’s creations express his innate passion for sweets and reveal the depth of expertise he acquired from his classic culinary education and training as an architect.
Jansen proudly serves as a member of both the Advisory Board for Pastry Arts Magazine and Advisory Council for Salon du Chocolat New York, as well as an annual judge for the annual Tiptree World Bread Awards USA.