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My Big Idea

Claire Ptak of Violet Bakery - My Big Idea #10

Hello and welcome to this week's episode of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast. This week's guest is Claire Ptak: food writer, recipe developer, consultant and owner of Violet Bakery based in East London. Originally from California, Claire worked as a pastry cook and later pastry chef for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. After moving to London, Claire started her business as a market stall on Broadway Market, cooking from home before opening the café in 2010. Claire makes a point of using all organic ingredients such as eggs, sugar and flour in her recipes, which fits with the down to earth character of the bakery. Aside from running Violet Bakery, Claire writes for the Guardian and recently published her cook book 'The Violet Bakery Cookbook', containing her own recipes for treats such as butterscotch blondies, chocolate and hazelnut and toffee cake. Claire has also been involved in writing several books for the restaurant Leon and a guide to making your own confectionary. Asos editor Danielle Radojcin talks to Claire about her life as an accomplished baker, entrepreneur and author. This is Claire's big idea.

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