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Company > Management |
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Sugar Butter
Flour was
founded by three accomplished and passionate pastry
chefs. Together, they contribute the extensive experience,
creativity and professionalism that make Sugar Butter
Flour an exceptional company. The current management team includes the following individuals:
Irit Ishai
Matt Ives
Joseph Aranda
Hannah Sim
Dorothea Petty
Lance Nitta
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Irit
Ishai: Founder, Head Pastry Chef
Irit was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She spent
her formative years in Israel, Paris, New York and
Copenhagen and has traveled extensively throughout
the world.
While studying communications & government
in college in Israel, Irit spent four years as a
head pastry chef making traditional French desserts
at one of the most famous establishments in Tel-Aviv,
Orna & Ella. In 1999 Irit decided to move to
California, and focus on her culinary career. |
In 2000, she started working with David Kinch at
Sent Sovi in Saratoga. Concurrently, she spent a
year perfecting her chocolate-making skills at Fleur
De Cocoa in Los Gatos, working under master pastry
chef Pascal Janvier. When Kinch opened the Michelin-starred
restaurant Manresa in 2002, Irit was at his side
to provide a seamless segue from main courses to
dessert. Her openness to other cultures and flavors
has resulted in many exceptional culinary creations,
which garnered rave reviews from the press.
Irit left Manresa in 2004 to realize her dream to
start her own bakery. She led Sugar Butter Flour’s
rapid growth from a small two-person operation into
a well-known company with many high-profile customers.
Irit’s high work ethics, incredible dedication
and uncompromising pursuit of perfection are the
foundation of Sugar Butter Flour’s success.
Irit likes
to spend her spare time with her husband, her 2 years old son, Daniel, and her cute Golden Retriever.
Contact Irit at irit@sugarbutterflour.com
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Matt
Ives: Founder, Head of Operations
Matt was born in Boulder Creek, California.
He spent his childhood in Boulder Creek, San Jose,
and Fresno. Because of being raised in rural areas
Matt has a great appreciation for organic produce
and fresh ingredients.
Matt started out cooking at a young age in his
mother’s kitchen. His first “real”
job was working
at Delectable’s Catering in Santa Clara
when he
was sixteen. He then worked as a Sous Chef at
A.P. Stump’s in Downtown San Jose. |
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Realizing that he still had more to learn, Matt
took a position as a Line Cook at Manresa Restaurant,
a prominent fine dining establishment. Matt eventually
left Manresa to become a Sous Chef at Seven Restaurant
and Lounge.
Despite his success and expertise as a savory
chef, Matt decided to make a surprising career
change when he followed his heart, joined Sugar
Butter Flour
and started making pastries! Matt still loves
to cook, and you can spot him
making dinner for his family or preparing team
lunches for the whole SBF crew.
At Sugar Butter Flour, Matt is responsible for
kitchen operations.
Whenever he has a free moment he hits his favorite
mountain biking trails or goes to the gym. Matt
also likes to produce organic vegetables in his
own garden.
Contact Matt at matt@sugarbutterflour.com
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Joseph
Aranda: Manager, Pruneyard Store
As a teenager, Joseph baked desserts for
almost every holiday. Upon graduating from high
school, he decided to pursue a culinary career and
began his “cooking life” at Mission
College in Santa Clara. While earning a certificate
in Food Services and Restaurant Management, Joseph
worked as an assistant pastry chef at Blowfish Sushi
at Santana Row. He had discovered that he was particularly
fond of pastry, so it was serendipitous that Sugar
Butter Flour, which was operating out of Mission
College, was looking for help. |
Joseph spent his first six months with Sugar Butter
Flour making tarts for eight hours a day and nothing
could make him happier. Joseph stayed with Sugar
Butter Flour for more than 3 years, and became the
first person besides the three founders to join
its management team.
Joseph’s favorite activity is catering,
both for family functions and for Mission College.
When he is not catering, he enjoys dining with
family and friends. His dream is to attend the
prestigious Culinary Institute of America someday.
Contact Joseph at pruneyard@sugarbutterflour.com
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Hannah Sim: Manager, Kitchen
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Hannah found her passion in culinary arts long ago, when she was quite young. Always cooking for her family and friends, Hannah found she was happiest when making mouth-watering meals for them. Anything from appetizers, entrees, and especially desserts, she knew exactly what she wanted to focus her career on: cooking. After graduating from Santa Teresa High School, Hannah spent the later years attending California Culinary Academy (in SF) taking part in the prestigious Le Corden Bleu program. |
After receiving her AA Degree, she realized her speciality was in desserts; so it was only natural for her to deepen her expertise in the sweet side of things. Not too long after, Hannah pursued her passion and joined Sugar Butter Flour, where she has been instrumental in shaping the kitchen's work and culture. Currently Hannah is one of Sugar Butter Flour's key group of kitchen managers, and is also responsible for Product Quality Assurance.
Contact Hannah at sunnyvale@sugarbutterflour.com
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Dorothea Petty : Manager, Kitchen
Dorothea is a country girl born in Tulsa , Oklahoma, who was raised in the outskirts of Visalia , California. She is from a large family and started learning how to cook when she was only six years old. Dorothea attended College of the Sequoias studying home economics and nutrition. After college she was employed by Brookhurst Inc, a company that is dedicated to the care and health of the elderly and disabled. |
Dorothea also also has certifications in dietary supervision, CPR, customer service, Hospitality Supervision, Food Purchasing, and Sanitation and Safety. She completed her education through Mission College in Santa Clara.
Dorothea joined Sugar Butter Flour in 2005, and is one our earliest team members. As a key team member, she is committed to team efforts and happy customers, and has a love for fresh foods and desserts. Currently she is part of the kitchen management team, and is in charge of purchasing, sanitation and safety. She loves to bake and is very proud of her unique carrot cake. Dorothea is a proud mother and grandmother.
Contact Dorothea at sunnyvale@sugarbutterflour.com
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Lance Nitta : Manager, Kitchen
Lance grew up in Cupertino, CA. He took his first cooking course in 7th grade and has alway enjoyed being in the kitchen, cooking for family and friends. After graduating high school, Lance attended UC Irvine, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering. From there he continued his education at San Jose State University, following his father's footsteps and obtaining a master's degree in electrical engineering. |
But it was during his time in graduate school that he realized that engineering was not the path to happiness for him. Lance decided to enroll at the Professional Culinary Institute, specializing in baking and pastries, to make his hobby a career. He obtained an externship at Sugar Butter Flour and from there was hired full time. After being with the company for a while and excelling in his job, Lance was promoted, and he currently is one of Sugar Butter Flour's key group of kitchen managers. Lance is
responsible
for inventory planning and production forecasting, as well as for
streamlining
kitchen work.
Contact Lance at sunnyvale@sugarbutterflour.com
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To order please call: [408]
732-8597 (Sunnvale), [408] 371-5485 (Campbell)
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