Pastry chef’s cookbook is feeling the love

Pastry Chef David Guas may have moved on to Washington, D.C., but his New Orleans roots are what’s making him famous. His first cookbook, DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style is attracting attention even before it hits bookshelves. Food & Wine has already proclaimed it one of its “favorite new dessert cookbooks” and one of “fall’s top baking books,” and is featuring Guas’ Spiced Upside-Down Apple Bundt Cake in its November issue. Meanwhile, Saveur touts DamGoodSweet as one of “the three that have us racing to the kitchen.” And Garden & Gun, which explores everything true to the culture found below the Mason-Dixon line, included DamGoodSweet as one of only five cookbooks in its “rundown of the best upcoming releases with a decidedly southern flavor.” DamGoodSweet, which lands in bookshops Halloween weekend, is a sweetened travelogue packed with recipes celebrating Guas’ hometown of New Orleans and the rich culinary traditions that shaped his palate, from southern classics like Red Velvet Cake and Chocolate Pralines, to Crescent City staples like Buttermilk Beignets and king cake.