Say the name "Claudia Fleming" and those who know will probably deploy the word "legend." And if you don't recognize her name, you definitely have benefitted from her groundbreaking pastry creations and flavor combinations that plenty of people now just take for granted. Original copies of her cookbook "The Last Course," went for huge sums of money on eBay and cookbook stores until it was reissued in 2019, and her book "Delectable" made pretty much every "best cookbooks of 2022" roundup. Some of the most notable pastry chefs in the game cite her as a mentor and inspiration and she remains a huge force in the way we all eat sweets today. And if things go right — it's going be that way with sandwiches next. Fleming spoke about her days as a ballet dancer, the magic of Gramercy Tavern, getting through tough times, and the privilege of working with freaks. 

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