Cakewalk

LAUREN SCHOFIELD • pastry chef

CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine

LAUREN SCHOFIELD • pastry chef • self-employed
Neighborhood you work in: Carroll Gardens
Neighborhood you live in: Crown Heights

It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
Fridays are usually my busiest workdays. I'm working on three cakes for events this weekend, so I'm rushing today to get everything ready for delivery tomorrow. I've been making a lot of cakes using tiny baked meringues as decor, so this afternoon, I'm doing a lot of adhering, basically — attaching these little meringues to cake exteriors with Swiss buttercream. One of the huge luxuries of working for myself (and not in restaurants) is being able to take little breaks throughout the day. I work in such a beautiful neighborhood, so I'll walk to Sahadi's, Damascus Bakery, or Court Street Grocers to get some fresh air, something to eat, and a coffee. When I'm really in the zone for a project, I'll eat the same sandwich from Court Street every day of the week — the broccoli Reuben, a genius sandwich.

Where are you drinking or dining this weekend?
I'm crazy about Ha's Snack Bar on the Lower East Side. The atmosphere is fantastic; it's like walking into a warm and lively dinner party where everyone’s just happy to be there. I love this riff on a French onion soup that they've been doing that uses pho broth as the base. I'll go to Saravanaa Bhavan for lunch with a friend on Sunday — this is probably my most frequented restaurant in New York, and I almost always go alone. I get the mini tiffin or just a dosa if I'm not that hungry. Or a thali if I'm sharing. I'm planning on going to Sunn's next week in Chinatown. I love Sunny Lee and her cooking!

How about a little leisure or culture?
I went to see the New York Philharmonic earlier this week, which was a delight. They played “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” which I'd never heard outside of watching 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I'm so glad I went. I also saw The Brutalist this week at the Village East theater. I liked the movie a lot, but it would’ve been worth going just to be in that theater. I'm trying to see more movies in 2025.

Any weekend getaways?
My partner and I spend a lot of time in Litchfield County. I love being up there because you have access to all this great stuff in Connecticut, and also in upstate New York. Sometimes we'll even drive up to the Berkshires for a day. We go out to Stissing House a fair amount for a drink and a little meal at the bar, and when they have rabbit pie for two, that’s our order. Or we’ll drive between little Connecticut towns like Washington, Roxbury, and Kent and pop into shops. Plain Goods is the most amazing store in New Preston.

What was your last great vacation?
I was really lucky to be able to go to Morocco with my partner's family for New Year’s. I'd never been to that part of the world before, and I loved it so much. I came home feeling so inspired. I didn't travel much last year, and sometimes you forget what a perspective shift it can provide. We were in Fes, then drove south through the mountains to the desert by the Algerian border, and then over to Marrakech for a few days. I did a little bit of shopping, but mostly just wanted to try food and walk around and look at things. My favorite thing I ate was stewed chicken with a ton of cooked down cilantro — like, so much cilantro that at first I thought it was spinach. I've been thinking about that a lot.

What store or service do you always recommend?
My friend Leah recently opened a store in Park Slope called Shahmiri that sells clothing, homewares, and the most amazing jewelry. I did the bulk of my holiday shopping there, and somehow can't resist picking up something for myself when I stop in.

Photo credit: Lucia Bell-Epstein