Episode #196 - Amanda Rockman of Rockman Coffee and Ripe Fruit

We round out our pair of episodes at the Friends of James Beard Chef Invitational at Sand Valley with Amanda Rockman. After helping shape Chicago’s pastry scene in restaurants and hotels, opening teams across the city, Rockman is now back in Austin, where she runs Rockman Coffee + Bakeshop. In front of a live audience, we discuss her path through some of the country’s most demanding kitchens, the management style and technical discipline that shaped her career, and the leap of faith required to open a place of her own. Also: the story behind her legendary Basque cake, a Mariah Carey sugar sculpture, the operational nightmare of the draft latte — and so much more!