The B is for Best

Do you know Miss B? You don’t? If you do, you’re likely to keep up the fun secret that she’s the namesake and inventor of that banana pudding at Hot Chicken Takeover—which keeps those checkered tablecloths covered as much as the chicken.

We know Miss B. And she knows desserts.

Which is why, after Food and Wine tried to lift the lid—or let the “banana out of the bag” about her identity and her amazing pudding, we wanted to check in with Miss B and get the sweet talk on her favorite desserts in the capital city—before she gets too famous and stops returning our messages.

Creme Brulee Doughnut • Tupelo Doughnuts

What hooked me on Tupelo was technique. They don’t cut corners; they use real, vanilla pastry cream in their creme brulee doughnut and they torch the sugar on the top so it cracks when you take each bite.

Cookie Brittle • Kittie’s Cakes

I make cookie brittle at home, but when I tasted the Kittie’s Cakes version, I felt like a fraud – because they nail it. The buttery, graham cracker layer is topped with a mix of chocolate chips, chopped almonds, toffee and sea salt. It’s the crunchy, salty, sweet texture and flavor that made me love this brittle.

Buttered Popcorn Pudding • Ambrose & Eve

Chef Matt Heaggans did a pudding pop-up, and since pudding is my thing, I had to go. The buttered popcorn pudding was that nostalgic flavor you know by heart, elevated. It was the best damn pudding cup I’ve ever had. I bought three, thinking I would share. That didn’t happen.

Churro & Vanilla Bean Cake, Lamingtons, Poptarts • Buttergirl Bakery

I started following Buttergirl Bakery (Karen Thomas) on Instagram and when I saw her churro and vanilla bean buttercream cake, I made damn sure everyone knew that is the only thing I wanted for my birthday. Vanilla bean cake, cinnamon vanilla whipped cream filling, vanilla bean buttercream, caramel drizzle. I mean, c’mon—it was as dreamy as the photo on Insta.

Grilled Pb&J • City Tavern

It the classic PB&J, on Wonder Bread, but when you grill it, the warm peanut butter and jelly almost become like a sauce for the vanilla ice cream that comes with it. Then you get the crunch from the grilled bread and it’s the perfect bite for PB lovers.

Blackberry & Fennel • Gallerie Bar And Bistro

I’m always amazed at the sweet genius of Chef Aaron Clause. The balance of textures and flavor in this dessert are unbelievable. Scoop up some of the blackberry sponge, with the passionfruit curd, a little of the ice cream, and the tang from the goat cheese – it’s sublime. You really should just work your way through the whole dessert menu.

Earl Grey & Lavender Tea Cake • MMelo

The tea cakes at Mmelo are handcrafted flavor bombs. The shortbread crust is the base for the earl grey and lavender scented caramel and it’ s encased by the most beautiful chocolate shell that snaps when you bite into it, making the caramel coat your tongue, and fill your head with bergamot, butter, lavender and chocolate.

French Toast • Rockmill Tavern Brunch

Sure it’s just called french toast on the menu, but Chef Andrew Smith’s is not your run of the “mill” version. The top part of the toast tastes almost like a vanilla bread custard or souffle. Honestly, I don’t what the hell kind of magic he’s putting in there but the bottom is griddled bread over Valrhona chocolate with whipped maple butter and maldon salt to balance the sweetness. It’s magical.

Fresh Fruit Tart • Belle’s Bread

Simple desserts have to be perfection, or it doesn’t work. This tart is perfect. A pastry crust, filled with custard, topped with fresh, ripe fruit, glazed with red currant jelly. You can’t beat fresh fruit and cream.

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