I am a lucky person. I know that, despite my occasional whining, whinging and . . . depression. I am a lucky person. Today's reason for thinking that? I have not only had the pleasure of meeting Dana Cree (two time James Beard nominated pastry chef) -- but I have eaten her creations both at Blackbird and, once upon a time, a wedding cake at a mutual friend's . . . wedding. (Need I say the wedding cake was the most amazing thing ever, both in appearance and taste? It was much more than a traditional set of layers -- it was a gingerbread sculpture in many many ways -- and both the appearance and the taste layering were amazing. Appearance AND taste -- a not so usual wedding cake review.) And, Dana is nice. Once upon a time my partner and I were at Blackbird, having met her once through that same mutual friend who got married, and a special dessert for my partner (whose capacity to consume gluten is very limited to nonexistent) arrived out of the blue. That dessert was beautiful and tasty and memorable.
Dana is both an inspiring foodie with serious professional chops and more.
Why is she on my mind today (and yes, today is, as always on this blog, a date highly likely to be unrelated to when this blog is posted let alone when you, dear reader, read it!)? Well two reasons: (a) I am procrastinating and (b) I know Dana's book on ice cream is coming to a Chicago location for a book signing April 9 nor to mention a March 28 event. Hmmm. (Planning to go, bibliochef? If I get there I will do a blog entry friends!) Having had a very intriguing conversation about ice cream with Dana at the aforementioned wedding, I am really interested in reading (and maybe even using) her book. The conversation bridged science, practicalities of a business, and the question of why ice cream intrigues Dana. It made me want to go on learning from her.
I might order the book. Indeed, I might. Meanwhile, a few articles on Dana appear below and one video -- and I am back to what I was avoiding by doing this entry:
Chicago Tribune reporting on her return to the "blackbird family"
Dana's words at a blog entitled The Pastry Department (including a very inspiring entry on setting goals which I wish I had read years ago and will learn from today and into the future)
And, for ice cream tips from the pros, try this video:
