Pastry chef Zoë François reveals what it was like to grow up on a commune in the sixties and how formative the experience was to her personal food philosophy. She shares the lie her parents told her about raisins and the packaged snack that opened her eyes to a world of sweet possibilities. Zoë affectionately talks about the value of knowing where food comes from and the effort it takes to make it because of her childhood living on a commune and how that informs how she approaches her work today. She talks about the first few jobs she ever had and what she learned by starting her own cookie cart in college. Zoë shares how she became friends with Andrew Zimmern and the one thing he would always bring to lunch that was way before his time. She talks about working with Andrew and how he encouraged her to get into teaching, which she has now been doing for over two decades. Zoë shares her journey to the Magnolia Network with her show, Zoë Bakes, the baking mishaps she tends to observe the most, and her love for the culinary community of Minneapolis. She talks about being a guest judge on Silos Baking Competition and why it makes her super nervous. 

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Find episode transcripts here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/zoe-francois-on-the-baking-staple-you-must-make-yourself

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