Our Exclusive Interview with Pastry Chef Sarah Levy and Sweetness Cookbook GIVEAWAY!!!

If you are familiar with the Chicago dessert scene, you have definitely heard of Sarah Levy, the name behind Sarah's Pastries and Candies, which was named one of the nation’s Top Ten Candy Stores by USA Today.  After seven incredible years in business, she decided she was ready for a new experience and announced the launch of S. Levy Foods, her exciting new venture.  

Sarah has definitely been a force in the pastry world.  She received the YWCA Promise Award in 2007 and was nominated for a Jean Banchet Award for "Celebrity Pastry Chef" in 2010.  She added a Food Network Competition winner credit to her name in 2011 and is the author of the cookbook Sweetness: Delicious Baked Treats for Every Occasion, which is our giveaway!!  To learn more about the incredible Sarah, check out the interview below.  

What started your love of baking? It all started with a love of eating desserts and went from there.  Desserts have always made me happy, and we want to make others happy!

What is your favorite dessert? I am a sucker for a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie (try Sarah’s recipe here). And chocolate souffles, chocolate almond toffee, black and white cupcakes....pretty much anything chocolate!

What's your favorite cookbook for baking? Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible (ironically Grandbaby Cakes will be featuring an interview with the famous Rose soon!  Stay tuned!!)

 
What has been your worst disaster in the kitchen? I was working at a restaurant and someone accidentally filled the sugar bin with salt. Needless to say, it was not an edible batch of raspberry sorbet!

What is the best dessert you have ever eaten? Where do you order it?

The dessert that really made me want to get into this business is from a restaurant called Delicias in Rancho Santa Fe. It is a warm chocolate cake with a cream cheese chocolate chip center, and it is to-die-for. My first professional job was in that kitchen.

What was the most valuable lesson you took away from owning your bakery Sarah's Pastries & Candies? I learned the importance of consistency and of making sure the product was both delicious and served with a smile. The food has to taste good and the service has to be great in order to truly make people happy.

What is your favorite recipe in your cookbook Sweetness?  How did you get inspiration for that recipe? The black and white cupcakes. It is a spin off of the black and white cookies from New York, which ironically I had for the first time at Olivia's Market in Chicago (they fly them in from New York).

Is there a pastry chef or baker that you model your baking after or one that you look up to? Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer at the French Pastry School. He is my mentor. He is extremely skilled and also has fun while doing it!

What is your advice for someone who is looking to enter your field? Work in the field to get experience and make sure that you like it! If you are passionate about pastries and willing to work hard, it will pay off.

Why is dessert important? There's something decadent and indulging about dessert. Life is short, you should always eat dessert!

To learn more about Sarah, visit her here at http://slevyfoods.com/ 

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.  WE HAVE A WINNER!  CONGRATS TO ANDREA, COMMENT #15 ON WINNING THE SWEETNESS COOKBOOK!

Here is how you can enter to win a copy of Sweetness! 

1.  Subscribe to Grandbaby Cakes blog- Enter information on the right sidebar.  You can subscribe by email or follow through Google.
2.  Leave a comment below telling us your favorite part of Sarah's interview!  Comments must be left on this post to count.

That's It!  Just that Simple!

Bonus!  Earn extra entries to this contest by becoming a follower of one of Grandbaby Cakes' social media sites choosing from Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest!  If you choose to add extra entries, leave a separate comment below for each extra entry letting me know what you did.

- The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning
- Grandbaby Cakes can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/grandbabycakes, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GrandbabyCake, and on Pinterest at https://pinterest.com/highartgroup/
- The winner will be selected by random number generator on random.org within two days of the contest closing.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond to their notification email to claim their prize.  If winner does not respond, another winner will be chosen by random number generator. 
- I will obtain the winner's name and mailing address by contacting the winner on social media and by email.  The publisher will mail the cookbook to the winner directly.
- Prize description- One copy of Sweetness: Delicious Treats Baked Treats for Every Occasion sponsored by Agate Publishing.

This giveaway will close on Friday, October 5th at midnight CST.  THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
Giveaway open to U.S. residents ONLY.  

GOOD LUCK!!