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Dana Cree Takes New Job in Chicago

The pastry chef that wowed at Poppy has gone on to some pretty impressive kitchens.

Allecia Vermillion
Author: Allecia Vermillion
1 min.read

Dana Cree has taken her modernist-meets-malt-shop talents to Chicago’s Blackbird.

When Poppy opened in 2008, chef Jerry Traunfeld’s Northwest-inspired thalis captivated our city (and still do) but perhaps the biggest surprise was the dessert menu from pastry chef Dana Cree. The veteran of Lampreia and Veil blew many a mind with desserts like hot date cake, fancy little sundaes and, dear lord…those nutter butters.

Cree went on to stage at places like The Fat Duck and a little restaurant called Noma in Copenhagen, as well as working at Chicago’s Alinea (no slouch of a restaurant either) for nine months last year. But she has remained connected to Seattle, returning for a month to pitch in when Jason Stratton opened Artusi, and popping up in many a local Twitter conversation.

But alas, it looks like we’ll have to give up any dream of Cree returning to work in Seattle—at least for now. Eater Chicago says she is the new pastry chef at Blackbird, the original spot from Paul Kahan, a Chicago restaurateur one might liken to a porkier Ethan Stowell (I’m talking ingredient preference, not girth here).

Best of luck to you, Dana. And please come back to visit.




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Allecia Vermillion
Allecia Vermillion
Allecia Vermillion has spent a decade at Seattle Met, arriving as food and drink editor, and expanding her role over the years. She served as the magazine’s editor in chief until moving into a newly created executive editor role in 2021. She spearheads Seattle Met’s food and drink coverage and oversees home design content. Allecia’s writing has earned her multiple journalism awards and two James Beard Award nominations over the years. A native of Portland, Oregon, Allecia began her writing life as a newspaper reporter in the Chicago suburbs before making a grateful return to the Pacific Northwest. She has an English degree from Washington University (no, the one in St. Louis) and a masters in journalism from Northwestern University. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two children.