16: Natasha Pickowicz

Natasha Pickowicz is the super talented pastry chef at New York City restaurants Flora Bar and Café Altro Paradiso, where fans (and oh, does she have fans) have been impressed with her ambitious cooking. Her dessert style? Italian-ish and simple-ish and generally not overpoweringly sweet. But before she was running the show in NYC kitchens, she worked as a journalist, writing about food and music mostly, in Montreal. She served as a Canadian pizza correspondent for Serious Eats and has a unique take on the relationship between professional chefs and the media. Here she talks about a crazy tryout she once had for a job and what she actually makes for dinner at home once her long day is over (she cooks at home regularly, slightly atypical for a professional). Also on the program, EyeSwoon creator Athena Calderone and Food52’s Kristen Miglore talk about their recent books, Cook Beautiful and Genius Desserts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices