We’re screamin’

es and Duncan Hines frosting involved, but I think the first from-scratch batch I remember making was an Ina Garten chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting recipe. I really got into baking in high school, and I was a big “Barefoot Contessa” fan and loved all of her cookbooks. I brought the cupcakes into school and of course my fellow 16-year-olds were like, ‘Whoa, you made them from scratch?’ I’m pretty sure that’s also when my love-for-baking reputation began.

Your cookbooks focus on one specific thing— cheese, cake... Was that on purpose?

Not a deliberate choice! Just sort of worked out that way. My dream has always been to write a book on my food heritage and family recipes— the mainly Russian and Georgian dishes I grew up with—so when the opportunities to write these past two books arose, I saw them as stepping stones to this goal. But when and how I’ll write it is still TBD!

SUPPIED PHOTO

AmuseBouche

Sweet find

SugarBear is on the case—or, rather, in the case. The small-batch ice cream can be found at Feast!, Bowerbird Bakeshop, and MarieBette Café & Bakery. From UVA alum (and Penn State Ice Cream Short Course grad) Emily Harpster, each pint includes local ingredients—think jam from Jam According to Daniel, coffee from Lone Light, and dairy from Homestead Creamery. Find it at sugarbearcville.com.—CH