Tzurit Or

Tzurit Or is an Israeli-born pastry chef. She is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of the Tatte Bakery & Café, with locations in the Greater Boston area, Washington, D.C. area, and the New York City area.

Early life and film career

Or grew up in Kvutzat Kinneret, a kibbutz in northern Israel located near the sea of Galilee. She is a descendent of Shmuel Stoller and grew up in a "baking family" and has baked since she was very young.
From age 18 to 20, Or served her mandatory military service in the Israeli Defense Forces. After serving in the army, Or studied 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. In early 2006, Or and ger family relocated to Boston. She now lives in Washington, DC, and Brookline, Massachusetts.

Tatte Bakery & Café

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. At her stand, she mainly sold brioche, cookies, and nut boxes, which were inspired by foods from her childhood in Israel.
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, the founder of Panera Bread and Au Bon Pain, Ron Shaich, bought a 50.01% stake in Tatte., there are 31 Tatte locations in Massachusetts and in Washington, D.C.
In July 2020, she stepped down as CEO following discrimination complaints, but she still remains involved in the bakery's operations and serves as its chief baker.