What were your favorite desserts growing up?
Chocolate soufflé. Not because I grew up in a fancy home, but because the first time my parents left me home alone (without a sitter) I cracked open my mother's copy of The Settlement Cookbook
and baked up a chocolate soufflé for my dinner, which I made in a Pyrex measuring cup. As far as things I didn't have to prepare, I'd say Mallomars were tops. And Scooter Pie. Anything with marshmallows, and I was all over it.

When did you decide you wanted to be a pastry chef?
When I was working on the line, in the café at Chez Panisse. I decided that cooks are like doctors and if you want to have a better future, you need to specialize in something. And since the pastry people all looked like they were having all the fun, I wanted to join them. It's been a blast ever since.

Where and when did your cooking career begin?
When I made my first batch of Good Seasons salad dressing. All that measuring...I loved it! No wonder I became a pastry chef.

If you didn't become a pastry chef, what would you be?
A therapist, because the pastry department always has to listen to everyone else's problems in the kitchen. Needless to say, after twenty years, I have plenty of experience under my belt and I've heard it all.

Who/what has shaped your baking the most over the years?
The new small-batch chocolate makers. Before, we were all just buying whatever was available, whatever we could get our hands on. I think a lot of just melted it down and used it, never really thinking about where the beans were from, how they were sourced, and how the bars were made. I was around when Scharffen Berger was just starting out and from John and Robert, I learned so much about how chocolate was made, and how good chocolate could be. Since then, a bunch of other wonderful companies have followed in their footsteps and I love trying out all the new chocolates as they become available.


What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
I don't use many gadgets, but I wouldn't give up my Microplane zester, Kitchen Aid 5-quart mixer, or my Le Creuset for anything in the world. Oh, and my All-Clad, which I shipped to France when I moved here.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Fleur de sel. I put it in everything and it totally adds that extra little sparkle to things, sometimes with great subtlety, but other times, I use it with less restraint and keep the flavor forward. It make a plain caramel a thing of great beauty. I couldn't cook without a little bowl of it nearby.

What are some recent dessert trends that you have noticed?
I don't follow trends at all. I wait until they've been around for a few years before I warm up to them. Like cupcakes, biscotti, tiramisu, and the like. In France, where I live, they're making verrines, which means cramming everything they can into small glasses, often in layers. It was kind of fun at first, but has quickly become annoying. Just because something is in a glass, doesn't make it good. But for some reason, the French are endlessly fascinated by them. We'll see how long it lasts.

What was the most challenging dessert you had to make? Why
Dipped chocolates. I went to school but unless you have the equipment, it's virtually impossible to get decent results at home. By the time you prepare the filling, temper the chocolate, and dip 'em (trying to get that elusive über-thin chocolate coating), you can't possibly match the skill of the mechanical enrober. I gave up and now happily buy my chocolates.

What is your least favorite food?
Squid. They're ugly, scary, slimy, hideous beasts from the sea. I don't know why anyone would ever eat one. Luckily, being a pastry chef, I never have to.

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Unfortunately I've seen too many square plates and useless powders on the rims of things. I really just like to see the food, and don't need all the drama around it.

On the plus side, I love the attention to great ingredients, especially locally-produced ones. We don't see all the much of that in Paris, but when I'm back in San Francisco, it's so encouraging to see restaurants featuring and supporting farms and products made in their community.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
I haven't worked in a restaurant for about 6 years, but I mostly eat in ethnic restaurants. I can pretty much cook "regular" food at home, which I enjoy, but eating Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, and other cuisines are what I crave.

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
Since I live in France, I'd have to say French food. Not necessarily everything, but going to the markets, and shopping in specialty stores, I'm exposed to so many interesting things. It's great inspiration.

What was the most spectacular meal or dessert you have ever had?
The best dessert I ever had with a vanilla bavarin with sliced up mango and a glass of 1938 Yquem. We were doing a wine-pairing dinner for Danny Kaye and some friends at Chez Panisse and they had these amazing, kick-ass wines. After I sent out their desserts, they responded in kind by offering me a glass of that sublime, caramel-colored elixir. I'll never, ever forget the taste of it.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Don't be afraid to cook. So many people are scared out of their minds about measuring and getting everything just right. In spite of what people say, if you add an extra teaspoon of flour to a cake recipe, it's going to come out fine. A reader recently sent me a question about a recipe conversion she was working on, which called for 3/16ths of a teaspoon. My head still hurts just from thinking about that.

What do you eat when you are home?
I eat a lot of Korean food. Pastry people are always attracted to three things: salt, vinegar, and heat. Korean food brilliantly combines all of them. My dream is to move to Korea!