Emilie Raffa is a sourdough baker, entrepreneur, and bestselling author of Artisan Sourdough Made Simple and The Clever Cookbook—the former an IACP-nominated title.
Since 2012, she’s helped bakers everywhere figure out sourdough, with trusted step-by-step recipes, personal insight and expertise. She makes sense of complex things.
Her clarity and guidance have earned The Clever Carrot millions of monthly readers and a devoted global community, with features in Oprah, The Washington Post, Saveur, Food & Wine and more.
Outside the digital world, Emilie and her husband own Sfoglia restaurant in NYC, where they continue to share their passion for cooking, baking, and pasta-making.
My Expertise
I trained at The International Culinary Center (ICC), building a solid foundation that’s deepened through hands-on experience. Culinary school was the best time of my life.
My career highlights include working at Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain, as a private chef, in culinary television production (Sara’s Weeknight Meals), food styling, photography, and more. Every skill I’ve honed has funneled into my blog, shaping the teaching methods and recipes that help millions succeed today.
I’ll always consider myself an eternal student, learning in ways that continue to inspire my path.
My Sourdough Story
Sourdough found me at a time when I was going through some major life stuff. I started following a blogger Celia, Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, as a way to decompress. She made sourdough look simple (and very healing).
Naturally, I wanted both, so I reached out and we became friends. Kindred spirits, really! She even mailed me some of her sourdough starter from Sydney, Australia.
Little did I know this unassuming packet of dried starter would jumpstart my sourdough journey and completely change my life!
Now, I had dabbled in bread baking before, but sourdough was different. I became utterly obsessed with the process—touching, feeling, shaping the dough—and felt a deep sense of aliveness that (finally) pulled me out of my funk. It inspired me to share sourdough in a way that goes far beyond the recipe, speaking to the joy, clarity, and connection it can bring.
In 2014, I wrote Sourdough Bread: A Beginner’s Guide. I wanted to share everything I knew from a beginner’s perspective because, at the time, a comprehensive online guide did not exist. It went viral.
I accidentally tapped into a market of beginner bakers who, like me, needed someone to explain sourdough in plain English.
To this day, that guide remains THE MOST popular post on my blog. It also laid the foundation for The Clever Carrot community, and paved the way for my bestselling book, Artisan Sourdough Made Simple.
Celia and I meeting for the first time at the Sydney Opera House! (2018).
Join The Community
It’s my honor to continue to serve you. When you sign up below, you’ll receive my latest recipes, videos and updates. I’ll also send you my sourdough starter cheat sheet as a special free gift!
