Award-winning bakery snags award-winning pastry chef. 

Meet Jenn Riesman, the new pastry artisan with a sparkling pedigree at Bakery Lorraine.

Charlie Biedenharn would settle for nothing less. 

“I think she is a perfect fit for this company,” said Biedenharn, Bakery Lorraine’s co-founder and owner. “I’m excited to maintain our classic desserts, while also bringing in some new items and having Jenn put some of her inspiration into what we do.”

Riesman’s journey spans kitchens from South Texas to Central Virginia. She rose to prominence at Hotel Emma at Pearl, earned acclaim at Rooster Crow Bakery in Shavano Park and served as executive pastry chef at Keswick Hall, a five-star property in Virginia.

“It feels great to be part of a San Antonio institution,” said Riesman, who started two weeks ago. “Bakery Lorraine has been known for so long for great croissants and macarons. I hope to be a breath of fresh air. A set of fresh eyes.

“I’m known for kolaches wrapped in brioche. But I can’t get away from burnt marshmallows and brown butter rice krispie treats. Those will be coming to Bakery Lorraine.”

Bakery Lorraine is most known for its French pastries and other baked goods like wedding cakes and macarons. Credit: Amber Esparza / San Antonio Report

A native of Rockwall, Texas, Riesman earned a bakery and pastry certificate at a technical school in Little Rock, Arkansas. Then she returned to Texas to launch a career in the pastry arts.

You may be familiar with Riesman’s vast dessert repertoire, which includes wedding cakes and pies, her speciality. 

At the since-closed Rooster Crow Bakery, she won a CultureMap Tastemaker Award for Pastry Chef of the Year in 2024. She’s led pastry programs for Melvin’s Home Ice Cream & Espresso Bar and Max & Louie’s New York Diner, developing artisanal ice creams, sorbets, ice cream cakes and ice cream sandwiches. 

Riesman also has worked at Omni La Mansion del Rio, a four-diamond property, and at Austin’s La Condesa, a James Beard-nominated and Michelin-recommended Mexican restaurant.

“Everything fits together like a puzzle,” she said. “Working at different properties and different levels of pedigree, working at four-diamond and five-star properties, you take a little bit of that experience with you and use it in the future.”

As Bakery Lorraine’s new executive pastry chef, Riesman fills a position unoccupied since the departure of co-founders Anne Ng and Jeremy Mandrell in the fall of 2024.

Under Ng and Mandrell, Bakery Lorraine rose from a small operation on Grayson Street in 2011 to a chain with a flagship at Pearl and multiple locations across San Antonio, Boerne and Austin. 

Bakery Lorraine has six locations, including one in Austin and Boerne and its flagship Pearl digs. Credit: Amber Esparza / San Antonio Report

The bakery’s Parisian macarons and French-inspired classics have earned acclaim. Food & Wine named Bakery Lorraine among the 100 best bakeries in the U.S. Conde Nast Traveler named it one of 13 Destination Bakeries. Ng and Mandrell earned a James Beard nomination. 

“We are not expecting to fill any shoes,” said Biedenharn, who founded Bakery Lorraine with Ng and Mandrell. “That was never part of the expectation. Patrons can expect to still get their favorite desserts. None of that will change. But they can also expect some new offerings as well to compliment what’s already in the pastry case.”

Riesman will oversee Bakery Lorraine’s specialty orders and wedding cake program with a bakery menu that will remain largely unchanged through the end of the year. Her new creations will debut in early 2026.

“I’ll enjoy putting a quirky spin on great products we’re already making,” she said. “I have a deep love for savory baking as well. I’m known for pies and not just for the holiday season. But having pies for walk-ins and for ordering year-round. And I’ll bring in more custom cakes and wedding cakes to the Bakery Lorraine repertoire.”