Pastry Arts Podcast

Jimmy MacMillan is the founder of Successful Bakery, a systems-driven consulting practice for established bakery owners in the $500K to $5M+ range. His signature engagement, the 90-Day Bakery Systems Reset, helps owners fix operational chaos, increase profit, and reduce owner dependency. With a background that includes a luxury hotel pastry career at Four Seasons and The Peninsula, international training in France, Switzerland, and Barcelona, and recognition from the James Beard Foundation, Jimmy brings both operator credibility and consultant authority. He works with bakeries, pastry shops, and bakery cafes across the U.S., building businesses that run without the owner...

Melissa Weller is an acclaimed baker, pastry chef, and cookbook author with over two decades of experience. Before pursuing her passion for baking, she worked as an engineer, but at 30, she pivoted careers by enrolling at the French Culinary Institute (now the Institute for Culinary Education). Since then, Melissa has built an impressive career in some of the country's most esteemed kitchens, including Babbo, Sullivan Street Bakery, Per Se, Bouchon Bakery, and Roberta's. She was the founding baker at Sadelle's and later served as the head baker at Walnut Street Café in Philadelphia and a chef-partner at High Street o...

Chefs Alen Ramos and Carolyn Nugent have been mentored by some of the world's most renowned chefs. The two, who are now married, met while working for Joël Robuchon, who was awarded the title "Chef of the Century" in 1989. The two decided to pack their bags and learn from the greats of Europe. They've worked in restaurants in France, Switzerland and Spain, and were selected to work in El Bulli and The Fat Duck, judged to be the number one and number two restaurants in the world during their tenure. They strengthened their gastronomic foundation through invaluable classical F...

Born and raised in northeast Ohio, Matthew Ratliff earned an Associate Degree in Baking and Pastry at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Chef Ratliff stayed on at the CIA for a one-year fellowship as a Teaching Assistant. He completed his internship at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Beach, California, which included working in their five-star, five-diamond restaurant, as well as all other areas of the resort. After his time in sunny California, he returned to the East Coast to become the Assistant Pastry Chef at Little Palm Island Resort & Spa on Little Torch Key, F...

Jenny's Wedding Cakes was officially born in 1998, inspired by Jenny Williamson's lifelong passion to bake pretty things. She began studying classic food techniques on her own, sparked by inspiration from her icon, Julia Child. Her love for beautiful and exceptional tasting food and desserts led her to continue to self-train in baking and catering while earning a degree in business.  Together with her background in art and education in marketing, she was equipped to start a successful boutique wedding cake business, emphasizing classic aspects of design and style inspired by art, fashion and nature. Since then, she has become k...

Daniel Mangione is an accomplished Executive Pastry Chef with a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry. For over 23 years, Chef Daniel has been a noteworthy leader in luxury pastry kitchens within the namesake hospitality brand, Marriott. Serving as the Executive Pastry Chef at JW Marriott Nashville, Chef Daniel has been instrumental in shaping the pastry operations of this prestigious hotel in Tennessee.

Beginning his tenure with the Marriott family in 2003, he started his pastry internship in The Ritz-Carlton Naples through the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Since then, he has continued to grow within the Marriott...

Aran Goyoaga is a fourth-generation baker, cookbook author, food stylist, and photographer. She grew up in the Basque Country in her grandparents' pastry shop, which was a gathering place for priests, radicals, and anyone looking for community. Aran moved to the U.S. at age 24, attended culinary school, and then worked in professional kitchens for years. After suffering from debilitating autoimmune disorders, she and her son were diagnosed with gluten intolerance. The very thing that defined her life and work was what had been making her sick all along. It was then that she made it her mission to...

A first-generation American whose roots trace back to Portugal, Pastry Chef Stephanie Oliveira brings a deep sense of heritage, discipline, and creativity to her craft. She earned her bachelor's degree in Baking and Pastry Arts Management from The Culinary Institute of America in 2010, where she was awarded the prestigious Les Dames d'Escoffier scholarship in recognition of her talent and promise.

Stephanie began her professional journey with the Dinex Group in New York City, where she played an integral role in launching DBGB, Boulud Sud, and Épicerie Boulud under the direction of Chef Daniel Boulud. Her career quickly a...

Pastry chef Garry Larduinat is known for his whimsical and inventive desserts, creating masterpieces that are as beautiful as they are delicious. Born in Limoges, France, to parents who were both chefs, Garry started his career at age 14 with an apprenticeship at the Michelin two-star French restaurant, La Chapelle Saint Martin, followed by a formal culinary school education back in his hometown.

After working in top kitchens throughout France, Garry's dream of moving to New York City came true when in 2010, he assumed a position working with renowned pastry chef Francois Payard. Garry served as Executive Pastry...

Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Cecilia Gaudioso has a deep-rooted passion for pastry arts that traces back to her family's bakery, which was established in the 1930s. She earned an Associate's Degree in Pastry Arts from The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cecilia began her pastry career with an internship at the Historic Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, where she worked as a pastry chef for 12 years, crafting desserts for the café, The Green Room, and banquets. She further honed her cake decorating skills while working at The Master's Baker in West Chester, PA. In November 2015, Cecilia j...

Romain Dufour is a baking instructor and consultant to industrial and artisan baking companies. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in the industry,  Chef Dufour's company offers expert training, masterclasses and guidance to bakers, helping them refine their craft and elevate their operations. He is also a key member of the organizing committee for the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, which will take place in Paris, January 20-21st, 2026.  The Americas Selection for the main competition will take place at the IBIE (International Baking Industry Exposition) in Las Vegas from September 14th through the 17th, 2025. The top tw...

Joy Wilson, also known as Joy the Baker, is a self-taught baker, cookbook author, and blogger who has been delighting readers and home bakers with her warm, relatable voice and mouth-watering recipes for over a decade. Originally from Los Angeles, Joy spent ten years soaking up the vibrant flavors of New Orleans before recently relocating to the charming small town of Bellville, Texas. In her new home, Joy continues to embrace her love for baking, now with a Texas twist, while settling into life in her historic house and prepping the space for future baking classes. With a knack...

Born and raised in England, Susan Notter started baking at a young age, then attended culinary school while working in a pastry shop. After graduating, Chef Notter had the opportunity to work in Germany for Konditorei Heinmann, where she spent three years learning about European pastries and confections. Switzerland followed, and more experience with chocolate at Confiserie Bachmann in Luzern and Confiserie Honold in Zurich. While working in Zurich, Susan started taking sugar classes with Ewald Notter, who had just started the sugar school in Zurich. After a few months, Susan joined the school full-time, gaining more experience with...

A fourth-generation pâtissier, Thomas Haas was first introduced to the delicate art of hand-crafting chocolates and pastries in the kitchen of Cafe Konditorei Haas, opened by his great-grandfather in the Black Forest region of Aichhalden, Germany, in 1918. Thomas carried the torch and continued his family's long-standing tradition, apprenticing and working with top chefs in Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe en route to earning his stripes as Konditormeister, or Master Pastry Chef.

 In 1995, Thomas was lured to Vancouver to take the role of Executive Pastry Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel, where he met his wife Lisa and tw...

Katarina Cermelj (Kat for short) is an award-winning cookbook author, food writer, photographer and creator of the popular 'free-from' baking blog, The Loopy Whisk. She has a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Oxford, having previously completed her undergraduate Chemistry degree at the same university. Being a science nerd, she loves to use a very scientific, analytical approach in her recipe development – and she's also a big believer in not only providing reliable, fail-proof (and always delicious) recipes, but also the reasons for why they work.

Kat's first cookbook, Baked to Perfection, has been described as...

Christophe Rull boasts over 20 years of distinguished experience as a pastry chef. Born and raised in France, Chef Rull embarked on his culinary journey at the young age of 16 at the Michelin-starred restaurant Abbaye de St. Croix in the South of France. After completing a rigorous five-year apprenticeship, he honed his skills at renowned Michelin-starred establishments such as Le Richelieu and Les Roches Fleuries.

In 2008, Chef Rull advanced his career as Chef de Partie at La Maison de Marc Veyrat, a prestigious three-Michelin-star restaurant, before joining the esteemed Pastry School ENSP as an Assistant Pastry Instructor. The...

World-renowned pastry chef En-Ming Hsu's accomplishments are as numerous as they are impressive. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, En-Ming's career began in the kitchens of the famed Lespinasse restaurant in New York City's exclusive St. Regis Hotel and Patisserie Café Didier in Washington DC. From 1994 to 2004, En-Ming worked at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago Hotel, for most of that time as Executive Pastry Chef. Since then, she has been sharing her knowledge as an independent pastry chef and consultant. She has taught at leading culinary institutions worldwide, including King Arthur Baking Education Center and The French Pastry School. A...

Rose Levy Beranbaum is an internationally known food and baking expert whose books have been translated into Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Russian, and Spanish. She has been called the "diva of desserts," "the most meticulous cook who ever lived," and a "legendary baker." She has published thirteen books, many of them award winners, including The Cake Bible (IACP's Cookbook of the Year and an IACP Cookbook Hall of Fame book), Rose's Heavenly Cakes (IACP's Cookbook of the Year), and Rose's Christmas Cookies (winner of the James Beard Award). Rose has mentored many aspiring bakers, has written for all the major...

Ben Mims is a highly regarded James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and food writer with a passion for crafting inventive, accessible recipes. Over his career, Mims has established himself as a dynamic presence in the culinary world, contributing to some of the most prestigious food publications and platforms. His expertise as a food columnist, editor, and recipe developer has been showcased in renowned outlets like the Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, Saveur, Lucky Peach, and BuzzFeed's Tasty.

In addition to his editorial work, Mims has penned three celebrated cookbooks, where his signature style of blending comfort food...

Based in Los Angeles, California, Chef Mario Bacherini is the West Coast Pastry Chef of L'École Valrhona, where is he conducts classes, demonstrations and workshops for professionals, providing one-on-one culinary consultations and bringing Valrhona's expert touch to the West Coast. After graduating from culinary school in Florence, Italy, Chef Bacherini went on to do his apprenticeship as a chocolatier. He began working in Michelin-starred restaurants across Italy and France until he decided to settle in Perpignan, France, where he trained under Olivier Bajard (Meilleur Ouvrier de France). In 2008 he moved to Paris, where he worked at the Hôtel...

Francois Behuet is the Executive Pastry Chef of the Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles. Since 2022, Behuet has overseen pastry food & beverage outlets at both The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles and JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, which includes the signature Californian trattoria Savoca, Glance Lobby Bar, Illy Caffé, The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge, in-room dining and Sendero, including three signature dining experiences (Corteza, Leña and The Agave Library).

With extensive luxury hospitality experience and a deep understanding of the industry landscape, Behuet brings 20 years of pastry experience, most recently playing a pivotal role at Pendry West Hollywood with Chef Wo...

Chef Stéphane Chéramy is currently the Executive Pastry Chef at The Ritz-Carlton & JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes, a role he has held since 2006. In this capacity, Chef Chéramy has led the pastry team at this AAA 5-Diamond, Michelin-award-winning resort, managing various aspects of the pastry and bakery operations. 

Chef Chéramy is also the President of Club Pastry World Cup Team USA, a member of the Académie Culinaire de France and the James Beard Foundation. From 2006 to 2012, Chef Chéramy was the Chairman of the Ritz-Carlton Pastry Advisory Board - Global.

Prior t...

Upon completing an AAS in Culinary Arts from Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Illinois, Andy Chlebana attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park to study baking and pastry. He began his career working for the Four Seasons Chicago, focusing on fine-dining desserts. Chef Chlebana's career has included positions at The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island Grill Room, opening team of the Ritz-Carlton Washington D.C., and Pastry Chef/Corporate Account Manager at Albert Uster Imports, Inc. Chlebana has spent the past 18 years teaching baking and pastry at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Illinois, where he is now Pastry Chef...

Susan Bae is the Executive Pastry Chef and founding member of Moon Rabbit restaurant in Washington, D.C. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Bae is a 2024 James Beard Foundation Semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Before coming to Moon Rabbit, Bae worked as Pastry Chef at the Fairmont Hotel in Austin, Texas, and the Michelin-starred Kali in Los Angeles, among other restaurants. Chef Bae draws inspiration from nature, and uses it as a reference point in her desserts. She adores herbs, often employing them to switch up standard pastry flavors.

Once an aspiring school teacher, Chef Bae...

Amy Guittard, Chief Marketing Officer at Guittard Chocolate Company, is the great-great-granddaughter of Guittard's founder. As the fifth-generation of the family business her great-great-grandfather started in 1868, Amy has an innate passion for cocoa and chocolate. In addition to leading Guittard's marketing department and spearheading the development of the brand, Amy's involvement at Guittard also includes sourcing and sustainability, serving on several committees for the World Cocoa Foundation, and traveling to origin to meet with farmers, buyers, and traders. She continues Guittard's long-standing tradition of collaborating on the ground with those closest to the source.

In this episode...

Martin Sorge is a baker, recipe developer, and food writer based in Chicago, IL. A tried-and-true Midwestern native from Fort Wayne, IN, Martin's passion for baking dates back to his early childhood when he accidentally set a microwave on fire while attempting to make a "biscuit" out of a few simple ingredients. Despite that setback, Martin forged ahead with his love of food to become a self-trained home baker, educating himself on the variety of baking techniques through cookbooks, blogs, friends, learning from mistakes, and lots of eating. He started by baking simple breads and cookies before incorporating more...

Based in Los Angeles, California, Chef Mario Bacherini is the West Coast Pastry Chef of L'École Valrhona, where is he is in charge of conducting classes, demonstrations and workshops for professionals, providing one-on-one culinary consultations and bringing Valrhona's expert touch to the West Coast. After graduating from culinary school in Florence, Italy, Chef Bacherini went on to do his apprenticeship as a chocolatier. He began working in Michelin-starred restaurants across Italy and France until he decided to settle in Perpignan, France, where he trained under Olivier Bajard (Meilleur Ouvrier de France). In 2008 he moved to Paris, where he wor...

Born and raised in the south of France, Didier Saba started his career as an accountant, but his love for creating French pastries eventually led to training at the famous pastry school Lenôtre. With the help of a renowned pastry chef from Lenôtre, he relocated to the United States and opened his first Le Macaron French Pastries Cafe in 2009. Didier and his family founded Le Macaron with the mission of bringing authentic macarons to the States. Educating and delighting customers about how macarons are truly "the gem of pastries" in France, the company has grown over the ye...

Chef Gonzo Jimenez was born in Northern Argentina and raised in a Spanish household surrounded by good food and long family meals. At the age of 17, he started working in restaurants and fell in love with the culinary world. He enrolled in pastry and culinary school in Buenos Aires. After completing his studies, he traveled around the country working for five-star hotels and celebrity chefs.

From 2009 to 2013, Chef Gonzo worked for large hotels in the United States, including the St. Julien in Boulder, CO, and The Hyatt Corporation in New Orleans and New York. Most notable amongst...

Philip Khoury is the award-winning Head Pastry Chef at Harrods in London and the author of the newly released book A New Way to Bake: Re-imagined Recipes for Plant-Based Cakes, Bakes and Desserts (Hardie Grant, 2023). Chef Khoury started his career at Australia's most awarded restaurant, Quay in Sidney, before becoming Adriano Zumbo's head of R&D, launching hundreds of patisserie lines in his native Australia. After a number of years spent realizing the food industry's unsustainable reliance on animal exploitation, he decided to begin tackling an area he had previously thought impossible: vegan pastry. He has launched a collection...

Affectionately known by her fans as the 'Queen Of Cakes', Yolanda Gampp is a self-taught cake artist with more than 24 years of experience and half a billion views on YouTube. With her quirky personality, obsession with organization and commitment to perfection, Gampp has shown the world that even the most unexpected items can be turned into cake. She entertains while she teaches, laughs at her own mistakes and is one of the most respected and celebrated celebrity cake artists in the world. She has been featured as a judge on "Crime Scene Kitchen", "Cake Wars," "Best Baker in America"...

After over 20 years of making sweets in celebrated kitchens all over the world, Chef Adam Thomas launched his own brand, Thomas Craft Confections, in Brenham, TX. Adam began his professional journey working at a San Diego bakery at age 18 with Alsatian master baker Pascal Zindel, and it was there that he realized that confectionary arts was his calling. During a successful apprenticeship at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, Adam connected with long-time mentor, Jean-Francois "Jeff" Lehuede. While still working at the Ritz-Carlton, Adam took on a second role at the St Regis Monarch Beach Resort to learn from pastry...

You may recognize Rebecca from her appearance on Top Chef: Just Desserts or the standout mention in Southern Living where her Houston-based, sweet tooth haven of a storefront, Fluff Bake Bar, was named one of the "South's Best Bakeries." The Wyoming native made her first "go big or go home" play back in 1999 when she secured a spot at the famed Le Cordon Bleu school in Paris, and soon after, a coveted internship at the landmark Le Bristol hotel.  There, under the tutelage of Pastry Chef Gilles Marchal, she got a taste of Michelin-starred kitchens. After graduating, she worked h...

Jana Lai is a pint-sized pastry chef with an insatiable appetite for success. With her determination and fierce competitive spirit, Jana has fought through the competition scene, recently taking home second place at the World Pastry Cup as the first female ever to join the French team.

Hailing from Australia, Jana began her culinary journey under the guidance of notable chefs Maria Lantelme, Shaun Quade, and Pierre Roelofs. But the call (and smell) of the pastry capital of the world proved too strong to resist, and Jana followed her heart to France, where she continues to hone...

Elaine Boddy is a sourdough baker, cookbook writer and teacher, but mostly a sourdough 'simplifier'. The key focus of everything she does, and shares, is to show how truly simply sourdough can be made. She removes the complication and unnecessary steps, and often the fear, that can come with making sourdough. Elaine shows bakers all over the world how they can easily make their own healthy, tasty bread, week in, week out, in their home kitchens, to suit their lifestyle and timings. She has a website, Foodbod Sourdough, a YouTube channel and a new podcast, The Foodbod Pod.  

In 2006, while pregnant with her first son, Chef Nicole Patel made a batch of chocolate truffles as last-minute holiday gifts. To the delight of her friends and family, truffle-making became an enjoyable pastime for Nicole that relieved the stress of her corporate engineering job. In 2008, a serendipitous trip to the Texas Wine Country led to Nicole being the first person in Texas to make truffles using local wines. Thanks to her dedication and self-taught skills, Delysia Chocolatier quickly rose to become one of the Best Chocolatiers in the Americas, as recognized by the International Chocolate Salon and Taste TV.<...

A certified pastry star, Kelly Nam is the Executive Pastry Chef and Partner at Joomak Banjum restaurant in New York City. She began her career as a pastry cook at Radius in Boston, and then went on to hone her skills at prestigious restaurants including L'Espalier in Boston and Nobu 57, Gordon Ramsay at The London Hotel, The Modern and Electric Lemon in New York City. She also served as Executive Pastry Chef at Frenchie in Paris. Last year she was named 2022 Pastry Chef of the Year by the Michelin Guide NY. Follow Kelly on Instagram at @shell.bugi or...

Cedric Barbaret, owner, operator and chef of Bistro Barbaret & Bakery in Lancaster, PA, has over 25 years of professional pastry experience as well as a Master's Degree in Pastry from Patisserie Chereau in France. His passion for pastry began at Patissrerie Barbaret, his family's bakery near Lyon, France, where he served his apprenticeship. Chef Barberet's experience includes a position as Executive Pastry Chef at Donald Trump's prestigious Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. While working in Palm Beach in 2005, he spent two months creating Donald Trump's five-foot high, seven-tier Grand Marnier chiffon wedding cake. Barberet has also worked at the...

Karen Krasne is the owner and Executive Pastry Chef of Extraordinary Desserts and the author of Extraordinary Cakes: Recipes for Bold and Sophisticated Desserts, which is in its third printing. Once called the "Queen of Cakes" by Gourmet magazine, Karen brings a fresh and contemporary sensibility to special occasion cakes. What makes her cakes showstoppers are their unexpected flavor combinations and vibrant touches using fresh fruit and real flowers, which add flair without being fussy.

Karen's cakes have graced the cover of Bon Appetit, and Forbes recognized her as one of the country's ten best pastry chefs...

Brad Kintzer is the Chief Chocolate Maker at TCHO Chocolate, based in Berkeley, California. Prior to joining TCHO, Brad was chocolate maker and product developer at U.S. bean-to-bar chocolate pioneer, Scharffen Berger, acquired by The Hershey Company in 2005. Previous to his 20 years of chocolate making, Brad studied tropical botany and environmental studies at the University of Vermont, and spent months working on cacao plantations throughout Latin America to better understand the origins of chocolate flavor. At TCHO since 2009, Brad and his team are focused on innovating in every aspect of chocolate making; from cocoa genetics, fermentation and roasting...