About Serendipitee NYC
Kathryn and Tami became a successful team working together in New York by happy chance! What they didn't know initially was how their different strengths and complementary backgrounds could bring together not only creative fragrance development, but also brand strategy, technical understanding and a global perspective. Working together in the fragrance industry is not just a profession, but a true passion cultivated over the years. They created Serendipitee NYC to be your dedicated source for all things fragrance.
About Tami Katz
“I see perfume-making not as a science of precision, but as an art and a form of alchemy. The mystery and olfactory delight in experiencing an exquisite new fragrance, there is nothing quite like it.”
Tami Katz’s entry into the world of fragrance began twenty-five years ago with the Executive Training Program at Bloomingdale’s. Cultivating a keen understanding of all aspects of perfume-making, Tami pursued her passion and spent the bulk of her career at IFF creating perfumes for Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Elizabeth Arden, Liz Claiborne, Axe, Dove, Degree and more. Ultimately, she was chosen to hone her craft with industry icon, Ann Gottlieb. Tami has skillfully collaborated with perfumers to create fine fragrance and cologne, home fragrances, deodorants, lotions, in addition to haircare.
Throughout her journey, Tami has worked with brand development teams, chemists, and fragrance suppliers as she ushered the creation process from start to finish. She loves collaborating with perfumers, providing olfactive guidance and inspiration to stimulate their creativity. She also loves to share her passion through education; she has mentored many Evaluators as well as provided fragrance training to virtually all of her clients.
In 2016 Tami and former colleague Kathryn Balcerski formed Serendipitee NYC, with a mission of working closely with companies to expertly guide them on a journey to translate their brand vision into a winning fragrance. Serendipitee NYC offers fragrance evaluation and development services; they are ‘noses for hire’. They are also the official training partner of Cinquième Sens, the renowned fragrance training company in Paris, and The Fragrance Foundation in New York, where they train the world’s top brand teams to understand the language and art of perfumery.
About Kathryn Balcerski
“For me the journey of creating a fragrance requires complete immersion – into the brand, the market, the consumer. This belief has taken me around the world to engage with fragrance. I’ve smelled bar soaps in India, shampoos in Shanghai, harvested organic rose petals in Grasse, and collaborated with the world’s top perfumers and clients in NY, London and Paris. My passion is to live the creative process; it’s the only way to make the concept become a reality.”
A passion for fragrance, brands and global culture lie at the root of Kathryn Balcerski’s expertise. She received her chemistry degree at university, then earned her masters from the renowned Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Marketing and International Business. Kathryn’s first love was chemistry, spending many years working in the beauty care specialty ingredients sector, then discovering the allure of the perfume world where she has remained for twenty-five years.
After a stint with Haarmann and Reimer (now Symrise), Kathryn honed her fragrance development skills at world leader International Flavors and Fragrances. Her time based in their New York and London offices allowed her to work with perfumers globally to develop fine fragrances, hair care, skin care, home fragrances, personal cleansing, and deodorants. She has collaborated on brands such as Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Perry Ellis, Mary Kay, Bath & Body Works, Ponds, Axe Deo-Cologne, TRESemmé, TIGI, and Lux.
In 2016 Kathryn and former colleague Tami Katz formed Serendipitee NYC, with a mission of working closely with companies to expertly guide them on a journey to translate their brand vision into a winning fragrance. Serendipitee NYC offers fragrance evaluation and development services; they are ‘noses for hire’. They are also the official training partner of Cinquième Sens, the renowned fragrance training company in Paris, and The Fragrance Foundation in New York, where they train the world’s top brand teams to understand the language and art of perfumery.