Danielle Morris

While it takes some people years, decades, or even an entire lifetime to figure out exactly what their ultimate passions are, this wasn’t necessarily the case for outspoken Earnest Co-Owner and Pastry Chef Danielle Morris. Morris almost immediately knew pastry was her destiny since the eager age of 16, when she abandoned youthful plans to become a broadcast journalist in favor of perfecting the craft of pastry. And, she’s been serving up sensational after-dinner treats to rave reviews ever since.

Her early passions for baking began around age four, when she spent much of her time cooking alongside her mother at home. Her enthusiasm and her talents quickly gained considerable ground in the coming years, becoming the goto “pie girl” in charge of making the favorite dessert for all special family occasions. Morris’ passions eventually steered her to begin studying hotel and restaurant administration at Oklahoma State University, then ultimately leaving to attend the Scottsdale Culinary Institute upon realizing that her true passion lay not simply in her owning her own restaurant, but in producing remarkable pastry.

Morris secured an Associate of Applied Sciences from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts in 2002 before beginning highprofile stints at some of the Southwest’s best restaurants, among them the historic Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn (Paradise Valley, AZ), Renoir at the Mirage (Las Vegas) and Chandler’s own BLD and Cork before eventually settling into her current role as pastry chef and co-owner of Earnest the awardwinning new dining concept that opened in the former space of Cork in south Chandler.