Today’s guest is Edd Kimber—baker, cookbook author, food writer, and the first winner of “The Great British Bake Off.” He has written eight cookbooks, including his latest, “Chocolate Baking: The Ultimate Guide to Cakes, Cookies, Desserts, and Pastries.”

Ed joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about growing up in a home where everything was made from scratch and how he taught himself how to bake after working a stressful job. He shares how winning the first season of “Bake Off” changed his life, why he loves cookbook writing, and how he developed his voice as a baker.

Then, Ed walks Jessie through his Tahini Milk Chocolate Paris-Brest from “Chocolate Baking.” He gives tips for mastering choux pastry, making stable ganache, and building layers of flavor and texture.

Click here for Edd’s Tahini Milk Chocolate Paris-Brest recipe.

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More on Edd: Instagram, "Chocolate Baking" cookbook
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook

Today’s guest is Julie McAllister, a Charleston-based baker known for her hyperrealistic cakes. Julie transforms cake, fondant, and modeling chocolate into lifelike creations—from magnolias and oysters to designer handbags and Charleston architecture. She has also been a contestant on Netflix’s “Is It Cake?” and Food Network’s “Holiday Wars.”

Julie joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about her baking journey, from childhood cake mixes to discovering her love of decorating in grad school after a memorable Christmas tree cake attempt. She shares how she taught herself how to decorate cakes from cookbooks, her early days juggling a 4 a.m. bakery shift with a full-time job, and how she built a business focused on hyperrealistic cakes.

They also dive into Julie’s signature work, from groom’s cakes to custom creations, and she walks Jessie through some of her most memorable designs, including a handbag cake for her Reese Witherspoon and a citrus topiary cake made of mini cakes.

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

Today’s guest is Roxana Jullapat, the baker, pastry chef, and co-owner of Friends & Family, a beloved seasonal cafe and bakery in Los Angeles. Roxana is also the author of two cookbooks, “Mother Grains: Recipes for the Grain Revolution” and her latest, “Morning Baker: Recipes and Rituals for Breakfast and Beyond.” She’s known for her commitment to whole grains and her thoughtful, flavor-driven approach to baking.

Roxana joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about her journey from growing up in Costa Rica in a big household to discovering her path in pastry after a formative tarte tatin moment early in her career. She shares how working at Nancy Silverton’s Campanile helped shape her baking philosophy and how opening Friends & Family helped her fully identify with the title “baker.”

They also dive into Roxana’s new book and walk through her Sour Cream Cake Doughnuts recipe, which uses both baking powder and baking soda to puff up the dough. Roxana explains the importance of moisture and fat in whole-grain baking to why freshly grated nutmeg is a non-negotiable.

Click here for Roxana’s Sour Cream Cake Doughnut recipe.

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More on Roxana: Instagram, Friends & Family, “Morning Baker” cookbook
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook