A chat with Pastry Chef Ali Spahr

Who doesn’t love a great croissant? I certainly do. But I also love the other delicious treats that come out of the oven of Ali Spahr, pastry chef, and ace baker at Winner in Brooklyn. Ali studied baking in France at the esteemed Ferrandi cooking school in Paris, and when Daniel Eddy, the chef/owner of Winner (who also lived in Paris) decided to open up a café and bakery in New York, he wanted to re-create some of the “grab and go” pastries that France is known for, and tapped Ali with the task.I make it a point to go to Winner every time I’m in New York, and so do a lot of locals, as evidenced by the lines of people waiting patiently for one of her gorgeous Croissants, Pains au chocolat, stellar Monkey Bread, and Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies. The cookies are so good that Romain once bought eight of them!Join me for this podcast as I chat with Ali about baking in France and America, how she comes up with ideas for the “daily drop” of doughnuts and beignets, and the exciting news that she’s going to have her own dedicated baking space soon. You can listen in at the link at the top of this post, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. Enjoy! - David* Follow Ali on Instagram.* Visit Winner in Brooklyn at 367 7th Avenue and Winner in the Park. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlebovitz.substack.com/subscribe