I grew up on Long Island, New York, graduated from Boston University and North Bennet Street Industrial School (piano tuning), lived in Madrid and Paris, and ended up in Charlotte, North Carolina. I started to seriously cook and bake when I moved to Charlotte because I could not find the excellent desserts and food that I was used to. My mother, a wonderful and innovative cook, had instilled in me a love of food and cooking, so I was already relaxed and comfortable in the kitchen. I studied with a Cordon-Bleu educated teacher and then continued my education by reading as many cooking magazines as I could find. Within 5 years my desserts were known throughout the city and I began my career as a caterer and teacher. I currently have three cookbooks in publication: Amazing Dairy-free Desserts, Passover Desserts, and Light Jewish Holiday Desserts. Both books can be used by kosher and non-kosher cooks.

As an active member of the Jewish community, I have served on the board of the Jewish Federation of Charlotte, am a past president of the Charlotte chapter of Jewish Women International, and was volunteer co-ordinator for Jewish Russian resettlement in Charlotte. I am also a member of ORT and Hadassah. In the community I volunteer for Crisis Assistance Ministry, an agency devoted to preventing homelessness, and for Ballantyne Country Club’s Rally for a Cure®, which supports the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

I currently live in Charlotte with my wonderful husband, our dog, and 3 cats. We continue to miss our grown son and daughter, who no longer live at home.

© 1999-2007 Penny Eisenberg. All Rights Reserved
Mandarin Orange Cheesecake Photo © Mary Ellen Bartley