Wedding Cakes and Finding Joy in the Kitchen with Freelance Baker Mackenzie Innis

Wedding Cakes and Finding Joy in the Kitchen with Freelance Baker Mackenzie Innis

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart talks with freelance baker Mackenzie Innis about the artistry, logistics, and emotional weight behind her beautiful seasonal cakes. Mackenzie shares how she moved from fine dining pastry kitchens to building Ceres, a freelance baking business rooted in seasonality, local ingredients, florals, and deeply personal celebrations. She talks about turning clients’ food memories into wedding cakes, sourcing from New England farms, growing flowers in Somerville, and finding inspiration in bakeries, gardens, mythology, and community. Catherine and Mackenzie also talk about the less-glamorous but essential parts of creative solopreneurship: email, bookkeeping, client communication, systems, structure, and managing a busy brain while running a business. Plus, they get into Boston-area bakeries, wedding cake etiquette, edible flowers, slowing down, calming kitchen chaos, and why cake can still matter in complicated times. Not From Concentrate is distributed by PRX and produced by Catherine Smart, with audio and video production by Kevin O’Connell. Associate producer: Allie Miller.

SingleThread, Food Waste, and the Future of Farm to Table

This week on Not From Concentrate, Catherine talks with Alex Fuentes, Head Chef of Special Projects at SingleThread Farm - Restaurant - Inn in Healdsburg, California. SingleThread is known for its three-Michelin-starred restaurant, five-room inn, and deeply integrated farm led by Kyle and Katina Connaughton. But this conversation goes beyond the fantasy of wine country fine dining. Catherine and Alex talk about what it means to cook at the highest level without recreating the toxic kitchen culture that has defined so much of fine dining’s past. They also dig into the practical lessons home cooks can take from SingleThread’s philosophy: reducing food waste, preserving seasonal produce, cooking with what is local and abundant, and using Japanese ideas like kaizen — continual improvement — to build more confidence in the kitchen. Plus, Alex shares what inspires his creativity, why collaboration matters, and how to calm kitchen chaos when your brain is moving faster than your hands. In this episode: *  What makes SingleThread’s farm, restaurant, and inn so unique  *  How fine dining can move forward from toxic kitchen culture  *  The idea of a “compassionate kitchen”  *  Food waste, preservation, and creative constraints  *  What home cooks can learn from Michelin-level kitchens  *  Why seasonality and locality still matter  *  Japanese influences at SingleThread, including kaizen and ichigo ichie  *  Alex’s advice for creativity and calming chaos in the kitchen  Guest: Alex Fuentes, Head Chef of Special Projects at SingleThread Farm - Restaurant - Inn Host: Catherine Smart Not From Concentrate is distributed by PRX and produced by Catherine Smart, with audio and video editing by Kevin O’Connell. Associate Producer: Allie Miller. Theme music by Kylie Daly. Best YouTube title Can Fine Dining Be Kinder? Inside SingleThread with Alex Fuentes Alternate YouTube titles 1. SingleThread’s Alex Fuentes on Food Waste, Fine Dining & Farm-to-Table 2. Michelin-Star Cooking Without the Toxic Kitchen Culture 3. What Home Cooks Can Learn from SingleThread Farms 4. The Future of Fine Dining: Compassion, Seasonality & Zero Waste YouTube description What can home cooks learn from one of the most celebrated fine dining restaurants in the country? On this episode of Not From Concentrate, Catherine Smart talks with Alex Fuentes, Head Chef of Special Projects at SingleThread Farm - Restaurant - Inn in Healdsburg, California. SingleThread is a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, five-room inn, and working farm led by chef Kyle Connaughton and farmer Katina Connaughton. In this conversation, Alex and Catherine talk about the future of fine dining, what it means to build a more compassionate kitchen culture, and how SingleThread’s farm-first philosophy shapes everything from hospitality to food waste. They also get practical: preserving seasonal produce, using creative constraints, cooking with what is abundant, and bringing ideas like kaizen — continual improvement — into the home kitchen. If you’re interested in hospitality, wine country, modernist cuisine, farm-to-table cooking, or simply feeling calmer and more creative in your own kitchen, this episode is for you. Listen to Not From Concentrate wherever you get your podcasts. Distributed by PRX.  Produced by Catherine Smart.  Audio and video editing by Kevin O’Connell.  Associate Producer: Allie Miller.

Jerrelle Guy on Burnout, Creativity, and Finding Magic in Everyday Meals

This week, Catherine sits down with cookbook author, photographer, and artist Jerrelle Guy to talk about her beautiful new cookbook, We Fancy. Jerrelle first burst onto the food scene with her acclaimed debut cookbook Black Girl Baking, but success came with a cost. In this conversation, she shares how burnout, creative pressure, and the constant pursuit of "more" led her to rethink not just the way she cooked, but the way she lived. Together, Catherine and Jerrelle discuss: 🍅 Why slowing down can unlock creativity  ✨ The philosophy behind We Fancy 🥄 How small rituals can make everyday meals feel special 📚 The reality of writing cookbooks 🎨 Food as a form of artistic expression 👶 Motherhood, intuition, and trusting yourself 🧠 Why "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" They also dive into Jerrelle's favorite recipes, including her famous Wednesday Sauce, tiramisu cheesecake, and the simple garnishes that inspired an entire cookbook. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, creatively drained, or disconnected from the joy of cooking, this conversation is a reminder that abundance often starts with paying attention to what's already in front of you.

Food Budgeting for Busy Brains with Meghan Splawn

Food writer, recipe developer, and longtime meal-planning expert Meghan Splawn joins Catherine to talk about the emotional, practical, and very real work of getting a food budget under control. After realizing her family had spent more than $32,000 in a year on groceries, dining out, coffee, Costco runs, and food in general, Meghan began publicly documenting her effort to cut that spending in half. In this conversation, she shares why tracking is the first step, how food spending can become tangled up with shame and identity, and why budgeting does not have to mean giving up good food. Catherine and Meghan talk about impulse grocery buys, ADHD-friendly systems, low- and no-spend weeks, freezer meals, meal planning without perfectionism, and the joy of using up what you already have. They also get into the “sludge of shame,” unidentified frozen objects, pantry roulette, and why a plate of frozen dumplings and edamame can sometimes save the whole week. This episode is for anyone who loves food, feels overwhelmed by food spending, or wants a calmer, more realistic way to cook at home. In this episode: *  Why tracking your food spending comes before setting a budget  *  How money and food shame show up in the kitchen  *  Meghan’s food budget diary and weekly tracking system  *  Low-spend and no-spend week strategies  *  Meal planning for people who hate meal planning  *  ADHD-friendly fridge, freezer, and pantry systems  *  Budget-friendly “emergency meals” to keep on hand  *  How to spend less without taking the joy out of food

You Can Cook Indian Food at Home with Heartland Masala

When Indian food is on the menu at Catherine’s house, it usually means ordering dosa, saag paneer, and cauliflower Manchurian from a favorite local spot. But why do so many of us love eating Indian food while feeling intimidated to cook it at home? This week, Catherine is joined by Auyon and Jyoti Mukharji, the son-mother duo behind Heartland Masala, for a warm, funny, and practical conversation about bringing Indian cooking into your own kitchen. They talk about: *  Why Indian home cooking doesn’t have to feel overwhelming  *  Building confidence with spices, techniques, and pantry staples  *  Family recipes, tradition, and adaptation across generations  *  What American home cooks often misunderstand about Indian food  *  How Heartland Masala makes this rich culinary tradition more accessible  Whether you’ve always wanted to dust off your spice grinder or you’re simply curious to learn more about the depth and diversity of Indian cuisine, this episode is a delicious place to start. Subscribe to the newsletter at catherinesmart.com for companion essays, recipes, and more from Not From Concentrate.