Ann Amernick has a rich history in baking, with five James Beard Award nominations for Outstanding Pastry Chef and experience as assistant pastry chef at the White House. Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines both named her one of the country's top ten pastry chefs, and Marian Burros wrote that "diners tend to forget their manners and lunge" when describing the impact of Amernick's pastry in The New York Times. She served as pastry chef at Jean-Louis at the Watergate and is currently executive pastry chef and co-owner of Palena restaurant in Washington, D.C. Amernick is the author of Special Desserts and the co-author of Soufflés.

Margie Litman is a pastry chef who worked under Ann Amernick for several years at Amernick Bakery in Washington, D.C. She continues to bake professionally and has her own catering company in Bethesda, Maryland.