I’m a sucker for a sweet treat. Always have been. And if it’s something that was created with both skill and love? So much the better.

Perhaps no one in the larger cultural sphere is as currently celebrated for that brand of combined creative prowess than Christina Tosi, perhaps the most famous American pastry chef out there. She’s a two-time James Beard Award winner, the founder and owner of the legendary Milk Bar and author of numerous cookbooks. She also hosts the Netflix series “Bake Squad” and has appeared on numerous other television programs as a guest, judge and/or host.

And now, she’s written a memoir of sorts.

Tosi’s new book is “Dessert Can Save the World: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes for a Stubbornly Joyful Existence” (Harmony, $26). In it, she offers up her own story, one that saw plenty of pitfalls and setbacks as she made her way to the top of the baking world. And yet, her relentless optimism shines through on every page, a joie de vivre in which she fervently expresses her belief that, yes, dessert can indeed change the world.

Interspersed throughout her charming and compelling life’s journey are recipes drawn from particularly salient moments in that journey. Sure, this is a memoir, an account of her personal story, but here’s the thing – that story would not be complete without sharing at least a few of the delectable desserts she made along the way.

Food as entertainment has become big business in the 21st century. Food-based television programming and celebrity chefs are major parts of the culinary landscape, with their importance spiraling upward as each enhances the other. Food TV makes more famous chefs and famous chefs make more TV.

One of the beneficiaries of this development is David Chang. Founder of the Momofuku restaurant empire and host of Netflix’s “Ugly Delicious,” he could be considered one of the poster children for this new chef culture … though it’s not necessarily a distinction that he ever really wanted.

In his new memoir “Eat a Peach” (Clarkson Potter, $28) – co-written with Gabe Ulla – Chang walks readers through his unusual and checkered journey to the top of his profession. From his early days in a strict and religious Korean-American family to his start in restaurant kitchens to the early uneasiness of his Momofuku endeavors to his ultimate ascendance to the upper echelons of the food world, we’re given insight into how he got to where he is.

But that’s just half the story. We also learn about a life lived in constant fear of failure. Chang is brutally honest and forthcoming about his up-and-down fight against depression and his ongoing struggles with anger management. It’s a success story that features plenty of misfires. The one constant throughout is a deep-seated and genuine love of cooking, both in terms of culinary exploration and cultural storytelling.

Tiffani Thiessen dishes on her Cooking Channel show

This column is dedicated to all the parents who let their kids be who they are. 

Last week I boarded a plane from New York City back to Maine. I sat next to a nice young man and we began to chat. I soon learned that he was returning home to Maine from a business trip to South Carolina. I asked him what kind of work he did, to which he replied, 'I'm a traveling pastry chef.' I was intrigued.

My father, Jack Bailey, was the second Yankee Chef (with his father being the first), and his birthday is May 10. He would have been 74 years of age this year. I remember well the types of food he adored, and one of them was pork chops. Didn't matter how they were cooked, bone-in pork chops were his favorite. He also enjoyed any recipe that screamed New England, using ingredients such as blueberries, molasses, fiddleheads, maple syrup and apple cider. Because his salt intake was limited, he used pepper extensively on his chops and steaks, which he always loved anyway. He also had an affinity for sweet potatoes and yams. Dad would smother every meat he cooked with grilled onions, a habit I proudly continue. Dad would have thoroughly enjoyed this week's recipe, created with him in mind, because I use bone-in chops along with apple cider and a few fixin's he would have loved. I think you will love it too.

A couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd take a shot at some quintessentially Irish (or Irish-American anyway) cuisine. Why not? It was St. Patrick's Day tis the season and all that.

Socorned beef. Food of the gods.

We briefly entertained the thought of actually corning our own beef, but upon further reflection we decided that that might be a little advanced for a neophyte such as me. After some scouring of cookbooks and the internet, we found some recipes that we liked and sort of mashed them together, leading to a recipe that was ours and ours alone.

And not to brag, but it was freaking delicious.

As anyone who has read my work with any sort of consistency can tell you, I live my life in a state of semi-arrested development. While in many ways, I appear to be a fully functioning adult, there are a few grown-up things that I just never mastered.

Cooking, for instance.

That's right I am a man who has somehow managed to wander into his 30s without ever having learned how to cook. I'm not talking bag/box/can cooking I'm a man-child, but even I can swing boiling water and operating a can opener. No, this is about such mystical dark wizardly terms as 'ingredients' and 'recipes.' This is about learning, slowly but surely, how to prepare a meal that doesn't involve Chef Boyardee or Papa Gino.

BANGOR - Three chefs will put their culinary skills to the test during the Maine Chef Challenge being held at Eastern Maine Community College later this month. Laurie Turner, resident chef at Winterport Winery; Jason Payne of Jeanie Marshal Foods and an in flight chef and caterer for private and corporate flights; along with Meghan Woodbury, executive chef at Ipanema Bar & Grill and The Reverend Noble Pub, will be whipping together three courses of their choosing from ingredients that they will be shown just moments before the competition.

"Slightly before the competition begins, they will [also] be informed of a mystery ingredient they must use, which will add some excitement and a bit of a twist," said CarolAnne Dube of Eastern Maine Community College.

The chefs will not only have the pressure of creating their culinary works of art in front of a live audience, but they'll also have a time limit in which to do so.

Here are some Holiday favorites that I yanked just for you. I haven't even posted these recipes on any of my sites and you can't find them in my cookbook. Hope you enjoy the flavor of New England in each Thanksgiving recipe.

Spiced pumpkin custard pie
3/4 c. chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. shortening
4 T. ice cold water, or more as needed to form dough ball
1 t. lemon juice or vinegar