| Tzurit Or | |
| Birth Date: | 13 June 1973[1] [2] |
| Birth Place: | Kvutzat Kinneret, Israel |
| Education: | Tel Aviv University |
| Occupation: | Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Tatte Bakery & Café |
Tzurit Or is an Israeli-born pastry chef. She is the founder of the Tatte Bakery & Café located in the Greater Boston area and Washington, D.C.[3] [4] [5]
Or grew up in Kvutzat Kinneret, a kibbutz in northern Israel located near the sea of Galilee.[6] She grew up in a "baking family" and since she was very young, she has been baking.[7]
From age 18 to 20, Or served her mandatory conscription in the Israeli Defense Forces.[8] After serving in the army, Or studied film, management, and communications at Tel Aviv University. She went to work for an Israeli media company and worked as a film producer for 12 years.
In 2003, Or emigrated to the United States and briefly lived in Los Angeles, California. Her then-husband got a job in Boston, so she moved across the country with him.[9] She now lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.[10]
In 2007, Or began baking and cooking at her house for about 20 hours a day to sell her creations at a stand in Copley Square Farmer's Market in Boston.[11] [12] At her stand, she mainly sold brioche, cookies, and nut boxes, which were inspired by foods from her childhood in Israel.[13]
The stand was widely popular, and in 2008, she opened the first Tatte Bakery & Café brick and mortar location in Brookline. Tatte, pronounced like "latte," sells a wider variety of items than she sold at the stand.
In 2016, founder of Panera Bread and Au Bon Pain, Ron Shaich, bought a 50.01% stake in Tatte.[14], there are 31 Tatte locations in both Massachusetts and in Washington, D.C.[15]
In July 2020, she stepped down as CEO following discrimination complaints,[16] [17] but she still remains involved in the bakery's operations and serves as its chief baker.