The winner of the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, Silverton is recognized for her role in popularizing sourdough and artisan breads in the United States.

Born into a Jewish family, her mother, Doris, was a writer for the soap opera General Hospital and her father, Larry, was a lawyer.

Silverton enrolled at Sonoma State University as a political science major and decided to become a chef in her freshman year after she had what she later described as an epiphany.

[2][3] Silverton dropped out of Sonoma State in her senior year, and decided to train formally as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu in London.

Inspired by his creativity, she returned to Europe to attend Ecole Lenotre Culinary Institute in Plasir, France, to further her studies.

[3][4] After Silverton returned to Los Angeles in 1982, she was hired by Wolfgang Puck as Spago's opening pastry chef, and in 1986, she wrote her first cookbook, Desserts.

Silverton would bake bread all night, sleep briefly, wake mid-morning to prepare pastries and desserts for the restaurant, and nap again before dinner.

[16] Silverton opened a casual Italian restaurant specializing in small pizzas in the fall of 2019 in Culver City, California called Pizzette.

Located in the famed Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, The Barish, coming from her maternal grandmother's name and taking inspiration from the family's farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, served modern Italian food.

The company's original location was based in Chatsworth, California;[17] however, they have since relocated to a 6,000 square foot warehouse in the Arts District of Downtown, Los Angeles.

She has been a member of the Macy's Culinary Council since 2003 and is involved in the Meals on Wheels programs in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

[20] She frequently participates in charity events supporting Alex's Lemonade Stand, No Kid Hungry, and the Los Angeles Food Bank.