Sarasota's Morton's Gourmet Market recently hired Lauren Bland as its new executive pastry chef. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Bland will supervise the company’s bakery and pastry operations. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Bland joined Morton’s in November. In addition to earning a degree in baking and pastry from the Culinary Institute, Bland completed an externship at The French Laundry, an internationally renowned restaurant in Napa Valley.