Well my sweet snakes, do I have a special surprise for you this issue of Chatting with! I know the title alone probably has you all thinking, "How did Serenity pull this off?" Well ... what's that Muggle saying? "If I told you, I'd have to -" Oh forget it, I've forgotten, but just know it involved legal use of a Time Turner, multiple port keys and some Muggle transport - all with full supervision of a certified adult, of course. *laughs*
Mind you, since we travelled all the way to 1927 New York City, we did have to pretend we were interviewing Mr. Kowalski for a Muggle - uh, I mean, No-Maj, newspaper.
Now, this month's issue is all about seasons. With the holidays coming up, the only thing on my mind is FOOD - hence, why I chose to interview a baker. Since we've all heard stories about Newt Scamander and his adventures in 1920's New York, I thought - who better to interview than Jacob Kowalski?
We met with Mr. Kowalski at his bakery located at 443 Rivington Street, New York. It was a cold November morning, when we made it to the shop. Mr. Kowalski greeted us with a smile and excitement - even some pastries for us to try! After our exchange of pleasantries and introductions, we began the interview.
Serenity Black: Thank you, Mr. Kowalski for taking time out of your busy morning before the store opens to interview with the Times. [Note we had to use a Muggle newspaper name for obvious reasons.]
Jacob Kowalski: Oh, it's Jacob, please. Mr. Kowalski was my father *chuckles*
SB: Jacob it is then. So Jacob, with the seasons changing do the pastry selections available in your store also change or do you keep the same regardless of season?
JK: Many are all year around, but there are some that we bring out based on season/time of year.
SB: Can you tell us any that will be available for these colder months?
JK: This time of I start making piernik - uh, you might know it better as Gingerbread. It's perfect for this time of year.
SB: Any others?
JK: Another we carry all year round, but I've had a ton of requests of the past month or so, has been the Poppy seed roll (makowiec).
SB: That sounds delicious. Spring is my favorite season, what would you suggest for me to have on a perfect spring day?
JK: You can't go wrong with sernik, which is cheesecake. Add your favorite fruit topping - perfect spring cake!
SB: I noticed while browsing, you have many interesting shapes for some pastries. What's your inspiration for those?
JK: Just stuff that's come to me in my dreams. They are a top seller, that's for sure!
SB: Well, Jacob, I know your shop is opening soon and I don't want to keep you too much longer. One last question - with the holidays nearing, If I had to pick up ONE dessert here for the holiday dinner, which would you suggest?
JK: You can't go wrong with a Babka. You can choose the flavor to fit your occasion, but you can't go wrong with a good ol' Chocolate babka.
SB: Thanks so much for your time today and for some suggestions of the perfect pastry or cake to eat during specific times of the year.
JK: You're welcome. I look forward to reading the article in The Times whenever it's published.
And that, my friends, wraps up our discussion with Mr. Kowalski. If you're anything like me and love eat regardless of the season (especially during the holidays), I hope you give some of Jacob's suggestions a try as many of them are still made in our times.
With that, I am Serenity Black - signing off. Until next time!
Note from Editors: We are aware that the focus of this article is for winter foods and was undergone in November. We apologize for the delay in getting this out to you, our loyal Snakes. Unfortunately, it seems that the time travel laws are getting stricter. As our -ahem- wayward writer found (and our usual wayward Editor), as this was done under the impression it would be featured in the Muggle paper, The Times, in the 1920s ... They rightly got first dibs on a Muggle version of the article. We have just finished all the proper paperwork to feature it in our current SOUP magazine.