Peggy Hernández

Nov 19, 2024 | bostonglobe.com | Peggy Hernández

James E. Kukstis, who last year was a Food Network Christmas cookie challenge contestant, has a wealth of knowledge about how to improve the taste of cookies made at home. The Scituate native, 36, has been making cookies since he was a child and runs Mr. Butterscotch Bakes, his personalized cookies business, when not at WHDH-TV, where he’s a journalist. Below are some of Kukstis’s tips on how to save money, where not to skimp, and how to generally make the baking process easier.

Nov 19, 2024 | bostonglobe.com | Peggy Hernández

HANOVER — Justine Rota was launching her Sweet Standards baking business in 2021 when, on the advice of her mom, she headed to Lorraine’s, Inc. Cake and Candy Supplies for baking pens, spring forms, and cake boards — and also found informative chat with store manager Laurie Bourke. The Hanover baker — who last December was a finalist on the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship (Season 10) — remembers being stunned by Lorraine’s offerings of 400 frosting tips.

Jun 11, 2024 | bostonglobe.com | Peggy Hernández

Grace Young, a celebrated cookbook author whose family’s wok and heirloom Shanghai-made dinnerware are on display at the Smithsonian, warns America’s Chinatowns are disappearing. “People don’t realize that Chinatowns are hurting,” says Young, citing Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown, which is now reduced to a half block. “If we do not show up, these precious Chinatowns will be lost.”Chinatowns are integral to US history and testaments to immigrant achievement.

May 7, 2024 | bostonglobe.com | Peggy Hernández

KINGSTON — Not far off Exit 18, on Route 3 South, there’s a bakery cafe with a European flair and an exterior painted entirely in black. Inside, black walls contrast with white marble tables and white ceiling tiles boasting a fleur-de-lis pattern. A 1930s photo of Paris’s famous Le Dome Café — popular with Ernest Hemingway, Simone de Beauvoir, and Pablo Picasso — dominates a small dining area. A bit of whimsy is found in the rolling pin door handles.

Sep 5, 2023 | bostonglobe.com | Peggy Hernández

The production of the faux Totoro buns reflects the challenges Sakan is facing as his Japanese-French bakery on Beacon Street — Japonaise is the French word for Japanese — comes back to life after an extended two-year closure for remodeling. The bakery, started by his mother, had been unchanged for more than 30 years. Now, Sakan is caught between his exacting nature and a need for more bakery help while loyalists queue at the door.