Fran Costigan

Fran Costigan Profile Photo

Culinary Instructor, Cookbook Author, Pastry Chef, Consultant, and the Director of Vegan Pastry at Rouxbe Culinary School

Fran Costigan, culinary instructor, cookbook author, pastry chef, consultant, and the Director of Vegan Pastry at Rouxbe Culinary School, is internationally renowned as the authority on vegan desserts. Professionally trained, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 25 years ago. Her unapologetically luscious confections lack nothing — except dairy, eggs, white sugar, and cholesterol. Fran’s vegan desserts are appropriate for everyone who loves dessert, whether or not dietary restrictions are an issue. She developed and leads the 90-day Essential Vegan Desserts Course at Rouxbe, the world’s leading online Culinary School, where she mentors international students of all skill levels, from beginners to professionals.

Fran’s cookbook, Vegan Chocolate Dessert: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts, is available in German, French and Italian editions, and follows the classic, More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts.

A native New Yorker, Fran moved to Philadelphia, PA and is enthusiastically visiting Philly’s many renowned plant-forward restaurants. (Go Birds!) A sought-after speaker, you can find Fran sharing her passion across North America and Europe, at schools, conferences, festivals, and corporations such as Google, at resorts, spas and on cruise ships too.

A professional member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, ACF: American Culinary Federation, and Les Dames d’Escoffier, Fran is proud to serve on the advisory boards of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods, and Main Street Vegan Academy.

354
Feb. 9, 2026

354: Event F&B: Designing Menus That Respect People & Ingredients

Imagine sitting down at an event, ready to enjoy dessert… and realizing the kitchen can’t tell you what’s in it. Tracy is joined by internationally recognized vegan pastry chef, cookbook author, and culinary educator Fran Costigan to talk about what should be one of the easiest wins in event food and beverage: designing menus that respect both people and ingredients. Fran has spent decades teaching chefs—many of them in traditional kitchens—how to create plant-based desserts that are stunning, delicious, and practical to execute. And here’s the truth she keeps proving: most kitchens already have what they need. What’s missing is the mindset, the training, and the commitment to transparency. We dig into: •⁠  ⁠Why hotel and catering pastry teams still treat vegan (and dairy-free) desserts like a “special request” •⁠  ⁠How to build one great dessert for everyone instead of creating multiple “separate but sad” options •⁠  ⁠The real issues with hidden ingredients (hello, season…
Guest: Fran Costigan