Personalities

Bill Corbett

Bill's Links:

Pastry Chef - Boxing Room, Absinthe Brasserie & Bar

Executive Pastry Chef for The Absinthe Group

Bill Corbett joined The Absinthe Group (TAG) in January 2011 as Executive Pastry Chef. With more than a decade of pastry experience at some of the most highly regarded restaurants, he has risen rapidly among the nation’s top pastry chefs. At Absinthe, Arlequin Café, Boxing Room, and Comstock Saloon, Corbett brings technique and innovation to his desserts and pastries, while keeping them accessible and well balanced. Within just a year of overseeing all of these menus, Corbett was honored with the “Best Pastry Chef 2011” award from San Francisco magazine.

A Waterloo, Canada, native, Corbett worked his way up from dishwasher to kitchen-manager to pastry-cook during his youth. After several years kitchen-hopping, he traded Canada for Florida, and shortly thereafter moved to New York City to pursue his career in pastry. In 2004 he was hired by B. R. Guest Restaurants to work under Executive Pastry-Chef Lincoln Carson, whom he credits with setting his foundation for classic pastry technique. Together the two managed pastry-production for the group’s seven properties.

In 2005 Corbett honed his skills at WD~50 as pastry-sous, learning how to integrate sweet and savory effectively from Pastry-Chef Sam Mason. In 2007 Corbett held pastry-chef positions with two Greek restaurants, Dona and Anthos, where his desserts drew rave reviews from New York critics and StarChefs.com named him “Rising-Star Pastry-Chef.” In the fall of 2007 he moved to San Francisco, California, to become pastry-chef at Michael Mina restaurant. In late 2009, Corbett joined the highly acclaimed Coi as executive pastry-chef for chef-owner Daniel Patterson, where he solidified his technical foundation, allowing him to push into new terrain with his desserts. In 2010 Corbett also helped Patterson to open Plum restaurant in Oakland.

For each of TAG’s concepts, Corbett offers an approachable menu while incorporating some unexpected ingredients and flavor combinations for an element of surprise. Highlights include Apple Tarte Tatin with iced buttermilk, hazelnut, and toffee purée; Huckleberry Parfait with yogurt panna cotta, huckleberry meringue, and lemon streusel; Bourbon Banana Split with banana cake and bourbon ice cream; and seasonal morning pastries.

Corbett lives in Oakland.