"Before work, I biked over to Crown Finish Caves to pick up the cheese we need for our Gage & Tollner dinner kits. I love Crown. It’s one of the coolest places in the city, so anytime we need someone to pop over there, I volunteer. In non-pandemic times, my friend took me through the cave and let me taste special things. This time, I just picked up a big wheel of Windham. I love cheese, and if I weren’t a pastry chef, I’d be in the cheese biz."

"While in the neighborhood, I went by my friend Woldy Reyes’s modern-Filipino pop-up at Ursula. Woldy is one of my favorite chefs, and he’s been doing pop-ups throughout COVID. I got his fried-mushroom sandwich and some lumpia, and he generously added the bibingka waffle with homemade marmalade and Anita’s vegan coconut yogurt."

"At Gage & Tollner, I was setting up all my doughs and sweet stuff for the week. I love being there early in the week, getting everything restocked and taking a tight inventory. It makes me feel collected and like everything is right with the world."

"In Fort Greene, I usually stock up on cheese at Greene Grape Provisions and bottles from their wineshop next door. I love their selection."

"Since it was late and I was a little hungry, it’s another sourdough pancake. This time with some homemade beet-and-cabbage sauerkraut, dipped in this hot German mustard from a tube that I recently found at Sahadi’s and have been squeezing on stuff with abandon. I love sauerkraut and make giant jars of it so there’s always some on hand. I’ve always adored spicy mustard, too."

"I didn’t really have the energy to cook, so I got takeout from a new spot, Taqueria Fort Greene, in my neighborhood. I got a taco, fried plantains, guacamole, and some sopes. All delish, especially the plantains, but so much food, so I ended up wrapping up the sopes."

"I hopped on the subway and met a friend in Chinatown at Deluxe Green Bo. I love the eggplant, lo mein, greens, scallion pancakes, and steamed dumplings. The eggplant is the star, just so wildly good. It really knocks my socks off. The texture is perfect, and the sauce is sweet, savory, and luscious."