Darra Goldstein & Mindy Segal

Teaches at La Scuola at Eataly Chicago

Darra Goldstein is the founder and former editor-in-chief of the James Beard award-winning journal Gastronomica, the editor-in-chief of The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, the food editor of Russian Life Magazine, and the series editor of California Studies in Food and Culture for the University of California Press. She is currently the Willcox and Harriet Adsit Professor of Russian at Williams College where her courses include Feasting and Fasting in Russian History and Food and Society. A prolific author, she has written or edited over thirteen books, including four award-winning cookbooks. She is a noted pioneer in the field of food studies.

Mindy Segal is a pastry chef specializing in American cuisine, where she adds a contemporary twist on classic desserts. She was awarded the James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in the Country in 2012 and was nominated for the category five years in a row, from 2007–2011. She has been featured in The New York Times, GQ, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, and O, The Oprah Magazine. She has made television appearances on Today, The Martha Stewart Show and The Food Network. Mindy is the proprietor of Chicago’s popular HotChocolate Restaurant and Dessert Bar. She lives in Chicago, IL. Cookie Love is her first cookbook.