Cofacci, Gino, 1914-1989

Gino P. Cofacci began his career as an architect but with the encouragement of the late James Beard, he switched to a culinary career in 1972. Mr. Cofacci studied pastry-making in Paris and returned to the United States, where he created elaborate pastries for a number of New York restaurants.

He was co-author of two books, ''How to Eat (And Drink) Your Way Through a French (or Italian) Menu,'' with Mr. Beard, and ''Desserts With Spirit,'' with Robert Carmack, published in 1971. He retired in 1986.

Cofacci was a "lifetime companion" of James Beard for thirty years, and inherited an apartment in Beard's townhouse when he died.

Cofacci died of cancer March 1 in a Greenwich, Conn., nursing home. He was 75 years old and lived in Manhattan.