She's My Cherry Pie

Today’s guest is Apollonia Poilâne, the third-generation baker and CEO of the legendary Parisian boulangerie Poilâne. Apollonia joins host Jessie Sheehan to share her extraordinary journey—from taking over the family bakery at just 18 years old to honoring and evolving a legacy that dates back to 1932. 

The duo dive into her life growing up between French and American cultures, the creative influence of her parents, and the secrets behind Poilâne’s world-famous miche and sablés. Plus, they talk about her cookbook, her love for art, and how she’s bringing timeless tradition into the future.

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More on Apollonia: Instagram, Poilâne, "Poilâne" book
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes cookbook

We’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes today—host Jessie Sheehan’s interview with baker and cookbook author Benjamina Ebuehi. Benjamina was a finalist on “The Great British Bake Off,” where she stood out for her approachable and creative recipes. Since then, she’s written three baking books, including her latest, “I’ll Bring Dessert,” which celebrates shareable recipes and simple treats perfect for entertaining.

Benjamina tells Jessie about her time on the beloved British baking show, her tips for make-ahead desserts, and the distinction between a cobbler and a crisp. Plus, they take a deep dive into Benjamina’s recipe for Tarragon Plum Cobbler from “I’ll Bring Dessert.” 

Click here for Benjamina’s Tarragon Plum Cobbler recipe. 

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

More on Benjamina: Instagram, website, “I’ll Bring Dessert” cookbook
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes cookbook

We’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes today—host Jessie Sheehan’s interview with cookbook author and blogger Abi Balingit of The Dusky Kitchen. Abi is known for her flavorful, fun desserts, inspired by her American upbringing and Filipino heritage. She channeled all of this in her debut cookbook, “Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed,” which won the James Beard Award for Emerging Voice. Abi was also featured on the cover of Cherry Bombe’s Creative Class Issue. 

Abi joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about her horchata bibingka from the book, including how she came up with her unique twist on the traditional savory Filipino dessert. The duo also chat about Abi’s career path, the pasalubong treat boxes that she started baking in 2020, and how she landed a book deal through social media.

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

We’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes today—host Jessie Sheehan’s interview with Paola Velez, pastry chef and co-founder of Bakers Against Racism, the global bake sale that raised over $2.5 million for social justice causes. She’s also the author of “Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store.”

Paola joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk all about her book, which she describes as a love letter to both her Dominican heritage and her New York City roots. She shares stories about her childhood growing up in the Bronx, visiting her local bodega and the Stella D’oro factory, and how her mom’s love for Guy Fieri inspired her plantain sticky buns. Then, the duo walk through Paola’s recipe for the buns, which she has become quite known for. 

Click here for Paola’s Plantain Sticky Buns recipe.

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More on Paola: Instagram, Bakers Against Racism, website, “Bodega Bakes” cookbook
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes" cookbook

We’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes today—host Jessie Sheehan’s interview with self-taught pastry chef, community activist, and Cherry Bombe Magazine cover star Natasha Pickowicz. Natasha is known for her unique take on cake baking and decorating, and she’s built a cult following for her minimalist creations with maximum flavor. Natasha tells Jessie about her cake-making approach, which she outlines in her book, “More Than Cake: 100 Baking Recipes Built for Pleasure and Community.” They also talk about the Planned Parenthood bake sales that Natasha organized in New York for several years. 

Natasha shares her soak secrets, love of textured fillings, thoughts on sheet pans and cake stands, frosting philosophy, preferred egg-separating technique, and her belief that time is a crucial ingredient.  

Click here for Natasha’s Passion Fruit, Coconut & Tequila Layered Cake recipe.

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

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

Today’s guest is Stacey Mei Yan Fong, a home baker and the author of “50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the United States Through Pie.” While Stacey moved from Asia to the U.S., she found comfort in baking and launched a heartfelt project to create a pie for every state.

Stacey joins host Jessie Sheehan to share how this endeavor provided a creative outlet, pivoted her career from fashion to food, and resulted in a cookbook deal. Then, the duo walk through her Massachusetts-inspired pie: the Boston Cream Pie Pie, a twist on the classic cake, featuring custard, chocolate ganache, and cubed pound cake.

Click here for Stacey’s “Boston Cream Pie” Pie recipe 

Thank you to Ghirardelli Professional Products for supporting our show

To get our new Love Issue, click here

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Subscribe to our baking newsletter

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

More on Stacey: Instagram, “50 Pies, 50 States” cookbook
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook

Today’s guest is Melissa Weller, the chemical engineer-turned-baker and author of “Very Good Bread.” Melissa is a James Beard-nominated baker and the former head baker at Per Se and Roberta’s in New York City. She returns to the show to share her expertise on this iconic French bread.

Melissa joins host Jessie Sheehan to explore what it means to be a baker versus a pastry chef, her love for Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking with Julia,” and why a sturdy piece of cardboard is a surprising bread-baking essential. The duo walk through her Per Se Baguette recipe—breaking down the importance of pre-shaping and scoring, the difference between poolish and sourdough starter, and why a lid might be your best friend when making baguettes at home.

Click here for Melissa’s Baguette recipe.

Thank you to Ghirardelli Professional Products for supporting our show. 

To get our new Love Issue, click here. 

For Jubilee 2025 tickets, click here.

Subscribe to our baking newsletter.

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

More on Melissa: Instagram, website, “Very Good Bread” cookbook
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook

Today’s guest is JR Ryall, the head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House Hotel, a renowned luxury property in County Cork, Ireland. He’s also the author of the 2022 cookbook “Ballymaloe Desserts: Iconic Recipes and Stories from Ireland” and is known for showcasing local, high-quality ingredients in his elegant desserts.

JR joins host Jessie Sheehan to chat about his earliest memories of Ballymaloe House, the bread-baking class that ignited his passion, and the hotel’s legendary dessert trolley. He also shares expert tips on making the perfect chocolate éclairs, from achieving crisp choux pastry to balancing the perfect glaze.

Click here for JR’s Chocolate Éclairs recipe. 

Thank you to Ghirardelli Professional Products for supporting our show. 

For Jubilee 2025 tickets, click here.

To get our new Love Issue, click here. 

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

More on JR: Instagram, Ballymaloe House, “Ballymaloe Desserts” cookbook
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook

Today’s guest is Clarice Lam, award-winning pastry chef and author of “Breaking Bao: 88 Bakes and Snacks from Asia and Beyond,” which was a New York Times’ Best Cookbook of 2024. Clarice grew up between Los Angeles and Hong Kong in a snack-obsessed family and went from a career in modeling to mastering the art of pastry.

She joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about her baking journey and how she blends French techniques with bold Asian American flavors. Then, the duo dive into Clarice’s book and her recipe for Char Siu Carnitas Bolo Bao. What exactly is a bolo bao? Tune in to find out. 

Click here for Clarice’s Char Siu Carnitas Bolo Bao recipe. 

To get our new Love Issue, click here. 

For Jubilee 2025 tickets, click here.

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

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

Today’s guest is Ellen King, co-owner of Hewn Bread in Illinois and the author of the 2018 cookbook, “Heritage Baking.” Hewn is beloved for its dedication to heritage grains and traditional bread-making techniques. With locations in Evanston, Libertyville, and Winnetka, it’s become a community staple, and Ellen’s work has earned national recognition. 

Ellen joins host Jessie Sheehan to share her journey from discovering truly good bread in Norway to the influence Chad Robertson’s “Tartine Bread” had on her craft to her underground bread club. Then, the duo walk through Ellen’s banana bread recipe from “Heritage Baking,” and the baker shares her trick for getting extra moist and flavorful loaves. 

Click here for Ellen’s Banana Bread recipe.

To get our new Love Issue, click here. 

For Jubilee 2025 tickets, click here.

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

More on Ellen: Hewn Bread, website, “Heritage Baking” cookbook
More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook