Growing up in California's San Joaquin Valley, a place known as "The Fruit Basket of the World," Lorraine Tajiri appreciates good food and the fresh ingredients that go into making a perfect dish.

After graduating in 1983 from both the California Culinary Academy and the California Sommelier Academy, Lorraine chose to specialize in pastry, honing her skills at Marriott Hotels in both Northern California and New York City.

Quickly establishing her reputation as a creative chef with a unique flair for dessert, Tajiri switched from crafting desserts for the hundreds at the Marriott to creating mouth-watering delicacies for top-notch restaurants, beginning with New York's prestigious Arizona 206. Returning to California, Lorraine won high praise as the Pastry Chef at Noa Noa. Gourmet magazine called her desserts "...wonderful" and declared that "Lorraine Tajiri makes Los Angeles' loveliest apple tart."

Lorraine also created a wholesale dessert company that provided restaurants with specially designed desserts delivered daily to each restaurant. Her credits in the past ten years include affiliations with many L.A. titans including Matsuhisa, Stringfellows, Bikini, Barfly and Woodside.

Most recently, Lorraine has tapped her business acumen, creating Cakes to Die For, a wedding-cake specialty company, as well as serving as a regional manager for the innovative restaurant clothing company Chefwear. She is currently working as an independent rep selling culinary apparel and equipment, working closely with restaurateurs, chefs and caterers to open and stock their businesses.

Lorraine and her husband Drew Glickman, partner of a digital media company, currently reside in El Segundo, California with their daughters Kylee and Jolee.