Today’s guest is Spring Council, a chef, cooking instructor, former restaurateur, and the daughter of legendary Southern chef Mildred “Mama Dip” Council of Mama Dip’s Kitchen in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Spring just released her debut cookbook, “Southern Roots: Recipes and Stories from Mama Dip’s Daughter,” celebrating four generations of Black restaurateurs and the community her family nourished through food.

Spring joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about growing up the youngest of eight in a family of cooks, learning through “dump cooking” and oral recipe sharing, and watching her mother build a beloved restaurant with just $64.

She also walks Jessie through her Chocolate Bread Pudding with Candied Bacon from “Southern Roots.” This dish features grated bread for a tender, almost cake-like texture, plus bourbon, maple syrup, chocolate, and salty-sweet bacon. Spring explains why she uses breadcrumbs instead of cubes, how baking powder changes the structure of the pudding, and why the inclusion of bourbon makes this dish unforgettable.

Click here for Spring’s Chocolate Bread Pudding with Candied Bacon recipe.

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More on Spring: Instagram, website, “Southern Roots” cookbook
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook

Claire Saffitz is back on our show! Claire is a beloved baker, dessert authority, and the author of two New York Times bestselling cookbooks—Dessert Person and What’s For Dessert. She also hosts the hit YouTube show, “Dessert Person.”

Today, Claire walks host Jessie Sheehan through her Molten Chocolate Olive Oil Cake recipe from What’s For Dessert. It’s a decadent dessert that’s deceptively simple. She explains why she uses olive oil instead of butter in the batter and how to get the center perfectly molten.

She also tells Jessie about the baked goods she ate and baked growing up, her mom’s recipe collection, her love for Martha Stewart’s Pies & Tarts book, and how the “Claire Recreates” series came to be.

Click here for Claire’s Molten Chocolate Olive Oil Cake recipe.

Pre-order our Mom’s the Bombe Issue

Jubilee NYC 2026 tickets here

Visit cherrybombe.com for subscriptions, tickets to upcoming events, and more.

More on Claire: Instagram, YouTube, “What’s For Dessert” cookbook

More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook

Today’s guest is Mia Castro, a chef, cookbook author, and TV personality based in New York City. She’s been on “Chopped,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” and she’s releasing her debut cookbook, “Cocina Puerto Rico: Recipes from My Abuela’s Kitchen to Yours.”

Mia joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about growing up in Puerto Rico, trailing her abuela through the kitchen, and spending afternoons at neighborhood panaderías. She shares how long calls with her grandmother became the foundation for her book, the challenges of translating “a ojo” (by eye) cooking into written recipes, and more.

Then, she walks Jessie through her Milkiest Tres Leches cake recipe. Mia shares smart tips on soaking, poking, and baking to get the perfect texture, and her two toppings of choice: a silky Italian meringue or a fluffy coconut cloud whip.

Click here for Mia’s Milkiest Tres Leches recipe.

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Jubilee NYC 2026 tickets here

Visit cherrybombe.com for subscriptions, tickets to upcoming events, and more.

More on Mia: Instagram, “Cocina Puerto Rico” cookbook
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook