Photograph by Maja Smend.

Cynthia Barcomi was born in Seattle and educated in New York, at Columbia University. She moved to Berlin in 1985 as a professional dancer and opened up her first shop, Barcomi’s, in Kreuzberg, in 1994.  She has since opened a deli in Mitte, written three cookbooks and created a whole world of baking recipes and videos for Schwartau. Recipe for Cynthia’s chocolate cherry muffins available here.