The International Food Star
Donal Skehan
Blogger, Author, and TV Personality | Los Angeles, California
Donal Skehan is rapidly becoming one of the most-followed figures in European cooking. With six cookbooks (his most recent is Eat. Live. Go.) and new recipes and tutorials on his blog and Youtube channel every week, he’s brought Irish baking into the public spotlight and glamorized it. A former pop star, Donal transitioned into food in 2009 and caters to a new generation of professionals who want approachable, efficient recipes that yield high-quality results. Here’s a glimpse into the world of this rising food star.
Favorite Irish Baked Good: I have two. The first is more traditional, an Irish Barmbrack. It’s similar to a tea cake. My second favorite, the Chocolate Guinness Cake, is more modern with an Irish theme. I make it for every St. Patrick’s Day—the Guinness makes the most decadent dark chocolate cake.
Go-To Dessert for Entertaining: Chocolate Lava Cake. I make it in a big serving dish, and everyone takes big spoonfuls of this molten chocolate mess and puts it over ice cream.
Must-Visit Dublin Bakery: The Brown Hound Bakery is this beautiful little bakery right outside the city. The cakes are displayed like they are in a natural history museum. Warm spotlights illuminate every magnificent cake, and each rests on a gorgeous stand underneath a glass dome. No stand or cake is alike.
Baking Tunes: My go-to lately has been the jazz playlists on Spotify. I like to light a few candles and bring the mood down. João Gilberto is always relaxing.
Favorite Food Destination: Vietnam. Hands down. Every street corner is teeming with food, and people talking about and eating it. I remember tasting my first bánh mì sandwich on a rice flour baguette. It was loaded with pâté, spicy pickled vegetables, lots of cilantro, and perfectly crispy pork belly. I dove into it.
Top Tip for Home Bakers: Frosting can usually save the day.
The Boundary Pusher
Ali Imdad
Cocoa | Birmingham, United Kingdom
Contrary to expectations, or rather in spite of them, Ali Imdad is a baker. Of the 14,000 people who applied for Season 4 of The Great British Bake Off, Ali, a British-Pakistani amateur baker from a conservative family, might have been the only contestant who tried out just to embarrass his brothers. Competing on Britain’s most popular baking show is considered a high achievement by many, but was a point of mockery within Ali’s home. “There’s this assumption, particularly amongst Asian men, that baking is a feminine pastime,” he says. Since his GBBO stint in 2013, Ali continues to challenge restrictive perceptions within the British mainstream and his own community of exactly who can be a baker—a man, a Muslim, anyone. For Ali, the best way to change the status quo is to lead the pack. Last winter he launched Cocoa, a chocolate-centric pâtisserie that’s already the toast of Birmingham, England.
The Expat Blogger
Frank Barron
Cake Boy in Paris | Paris, France
When he moved from San Francisco to France in 2012, Frank Barron began baking the cake recipes of his childhood, simple cinnamon Bundts and hummingbird cakes, and blogging as a way to find comfort in a foreign place. Now, with these American-style classics, he has become one of the most in-demand cake bakers in Paris, the pastry capital of world, where it is difficult to find these cakes unless you make them yourself, Frank explains. He narrates his baking and Parisian adventures on his blog, which also provides a dual service as a travel site. Here are Frank’s top tips on blogging and finding your groove in a foreign place.
On Building a Successful Baking Blog
Write about what you love to bake. That honesty always shines through. Although I live in France, I still love baking a classic vanilla layer cake with buttercream frosting most.
On Navigating the Paris Pastry Scene
Embrace the ‘gourmand’ lifestyle and eat your way through Paris. Some of the most amazing friends I’ve made since moving came from striking up conversations at cafes and pastry shops. You have to put yourself out there.
On the Evolution of Cake Boy
Listen to what people tell you that you are good at, and go with it! When I first moved to Paris five years ago, I didn’t know a single person here. As I started to make new connections in the city, I began hosting afternoon cake parties as a way to bond with newfound friends. The rest was history.
I’m taking a trip to New York City later in 2018 and I am definitely going to check out the bagel place you mentioned. Honey water? It sounds odd, yet delightful. I can’t wait to try it!