Kristen Livoti attended the Edinburgh Cookery School (now the Edinburgh School of Food and Wine) just outside of Edinburgh Scotland.  Situated on the picturesque Newliston Estate, there she received a chef’s diploma with distinction. Courses included traditional Scottish, French, Indian and Italian cuisine but also studied sugarpaste techniques, which are so prevalent in the United Kingdom and Australia.  It was there that she realized her true passion for baking.

   Upon returning to the U.S., Kristen decided to pursue a career in pastry.  She accepted a job as the pastry chef at the acclaimed 4 star Norwich Inn and Spa in Norwich, CT.  As this was her first venture in a professional kitchen, it was a huge learning experience.  Used to cooking in a small school kitchen and for servings of 2-3 people,  here she learned to bake for larger quantities and the experience gained here was immeasurable.  After spending a year here, Kristen decided to move north and was hired as the pastry chef for Carmelina’s Restaurant in Hadley, MA.  Carmelina’s is very well known to locals and serves wonderful, traditional Italian dishes.  This was her first venture into Italian baking.  From Carmelina’s, Kristen accepted a position at Max Downtown in Hartford, CT and finally decided that she should make the move to Boston.

     Kristen teamed up with Chef Bill Bradley from the Culinary Institute of America at Napa Valley.  This nationally acclaimed chef had moved out east to renovate and redesign the Wellesley Inn in Wellesley, MA.  They joined forces and opened the restaurant Brix 576.  With this successful venture under their belts, they then moved to the North End to open Restaurant Bricco to wonderful reviews. Bricco served Italian cuisine with an innovative Californian approach. By this time, Kristen was also winning pastry competitions and making a name for herself in the Boston culinary world.  After receiving job offers for several nationally known restaurants in the Boston area, She decided to team up with another chef and begin an innovative project in Lawrence, MA.

     One Mill Street was a 3 kitchen facility with a bistro, fine dining restaurant and catering facility all on premise.  Again, Kristen received very favorable reviews from the press but after 3 exhausting restaurant openings in 2 years, Kristen decided to step away from the fast-paced culinary world and start a family.

After a long hiatus, Kristen has now returned to her passion and is now opening the shop that she has always wanted to have-naming the shop after her daughter, Bella.  She is so excited to have the opportunity to express her creativity again.  Life is good!