Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, the fabulous baker boys of BAKED, stop by the studio to sate THE FOOD SEEN’s sweet teeth, bearing their best brownies (which are some of Oprah’s Favorite Things)! They tell the tale that you can positively have one’s cake and eat it too, leaving former lives in the ad world to working nights in cafes and take pastry classes, starting from scratch with the notion to get grandma out of the kitchen, and bring the cool back into baking. Matt and Renato have also authored two toothsome cookbooks that are must haves for anyone craving classic American desserts made alive and anew (Baked: New Frontiers in Baking and Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented). This episode was sponsored by 360 Cookware. For more information on their green product line and vapor technology visit www.360cookware.com.

Mara Trachtenberg, a fine art photographer, constructed a series of fantastical 4×5 photos images for “A Decadent World” with sugar as her sculptural medium. Feeding off an early fascination with food, from her Nana’s eastern-European Jewish kitchen (blintzes, latkes, kasha and kugel), to her father’s garden, Mara’s documented slaughterhouses to explore the connection between animal and human, life and death, and in the same vein, been rapt with Food Network’s Ace of Cakes, the plasticity of sugar, and our societal relationship between the culture of food and the nature of food.

This week on Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold and Nastassia Lopez talk about their experience acting as 'fluffers' at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival. Who was more popular at the festival - Dave or Tony the Tiger? Later, Dave tackles this week's listener questions! Hear why Dave and Nastassia hate the word 'espuma', and learn how to use pine flavor in your food and drink! Dave talks about the differences in cooking temperatures for egg whites and yolks, and offers some suggestions for sous vide eggs. Learn how to prevent evaporation with an immersion circulator. Listen in to hear Dave offer tips on how to win cooking contests! This program has been sponsored by The International Culinary Center.

"I'm against the word 'espuma' on an English menu. If the whole menu's in Spanish, then go ahead." [8:15]

"A lot times when working with pine and lavender... even when you do a really good job with it, you might have some bathroom cleaner memories." [10:50]

-- Dave Arnold on Cooking Issues